DEAR SUN SPOTS: We are interested in getting medical alert service from a provider in Maine. To date we have not been successful in obtaining any information. We greatly appreciate all your good help. Many thanks. — M.E., Rumford

ANSWER: A google search turns up many providers of this service in Maine, but only a couple based in Maine. (If readers know of others, please email sunspots@sunjournal.com.)

Great Falls Security in Auburn offers medical alert alarms as well as products for other security concerns. You can reach them at 207-783-7110 or (toll free in Maine only) 800-540-7110, or visit www.gfss.com.

Roland Bussiere of SeniorsPlus, who often helps Sun Spots, came up with a service from St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center in Lewiston. At www.stmarysmaine.com (exact page: http://tinyurl.com/n4dq4rr) it offers this:

“A Personal Emergency Response Service (PERS) gets you emergency assistance when you need it, all at the push of a button.

“The PERS system doesn’t require you to have a ton of fancy, complicated equipment. We provide members with a small ‘speaker phone’ which we will connect to your phone line. It comes with a Personal Help Button (PHB) which acts as a remote access to the PERS and can be worn on your wrist or on a necklace/lanyard around your neck.

“When you push the button, it activates the PERS, which dials a programmed toll-free phone number connecting you to the Care Center where an operator will respond immediately and ask if you need help.

“If you are concerned about falls, we also have a Fall Detector Button which can sense when you have fallen and dial the Care Center without pushing your button. After our representatives have determined what (if any) assistance you need, they will alert your responders.

“We have a variety of PERS to choose from. The basic PERS connects to your landline telephone. For homes that no longer use a landline, we have a cellular service. For folks who want the same security when they travel, shop and visit outside their home, we have a GPS version that can go anywhere you wish to go and be activated anytime it might be needed. This is also a perfect device for individuals who wander.”

The contact information is St. Mary’s Personal Emergency Response, 96 Campus Ave., 3rd floor, Lewiston, ME 04240, 207-777-8827.

For those who don’t care if the service originates in Maine, some other options include:

* Medical Alert System (aligned with CVS), Philadelphia, 800-283-2300, www.medicalalertsystem.com

* Medical Guardian, Pennsylvania, 800-668-9200, www.medicalguardian.com/

* MobileHelp, Florida, 800-992-0616, www.mobilehelpnow.com/contact.php

* Philips Lifeline, 800-380-3111, www.lifelinesys.com, founded by a doctor in North Carolina in 1972. Roland said that Philips was one of the first alert systems.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: This is a huge thank you to the caring members of our community who so generously donated exercise equipment to our school, RETC/SOS, in Auburn.

We were touched by the number of donations. Some people even delivered their bikes to our location. Our students are having an amazingly good time with the equipment. Once again, a warm thank you to all. — Aleta DeChiara, adechiara@auburnschl.edu

DEAR SUN SPOTS: I have an overabundance of lancets for a glucose meter. They fit a Contour True Results and also the One Touch. I would like to give them to someone who can use them. — Ellen, 207-645-2601

This column is for you, our readers. It is for your questions and comments. There are only two rules: You must write to the column and sign your name (we won’t use it if you ask us not to). Please include your phone number. Letters will not be returned or answered by mail, and telephone calls will not be accepted. Your letters will appear as quickly as space allows. Address them to Sun Spots, P.O. Box 4400, Lewiston, ME 04243-4400. Inquiries can also be emailed to sunspots@sunjournal.com.