Newspaper Page Text
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November 23, 1995 AUGUSTA FOCUS
Builders Association gives tips on
home maintenance for fall
By Richard Johnson
President, Builders Association of
Metro Augusta
Preventative maintenance for
your home is not very exciting —
these are chores after all —but it
is necessary and will help you
protect your investment in your
home. Here are some things you
should be working on as the tem
perature outside falls:
® Check your roof insula
tion. How much roof insulation
do you have? Heat rises, so your
home’s most likely area to re
lease heat is the roof. The most
efficicnt way to stop that loss is
by ceiling and roofinsulation with
an R-value of approximately 40.
The R-value is the ability of any
material to resist the passage of
heat. For example, a fiberglass
bat or blanket 9 1/2 to 10 inches
thick has an R-value of approxi
mately 30. You can raise that
number to 38 simply by adding
two orthree more inches of fiber
glass. Since your winters here in
Augusta are mild, the area home
Venison wanted by Golden Harvest Food Bank
Golden Harvest Food bank
serves over 350 non-profit agen
cies (church food pantries, half
way homes for abused women
and children, senior nutrition
centers serving the elderly, the
Master’s Table Soup Kitchen,
etc.) within a 24-county service
area (18 counties in GA and 6 in
SC) that feed the hungry.
They distribute about 300,000
pounds of products each month
to those agencies.
Meat is rarely donated but is
highly requested by their agen
eye Q
Diabetes may cause blindness
People who have diabetes for several years are at risk to
develop a potentially blinding condition called diabetic
retinopathy and need to take steps to protect their vision.
Overtime, diabetes can weaken and cause changesinthe
small blood vessels that nourish the retina, the delicate lining
at the back of the eye containing the light-sensitive nerve
cells needed for seeing, says the Georgia Optometric Asso
ciation.
When these blood vessels begin to leak, develop brush
like branches or become enlarged, the condition is called
diabetic retinopathy. Vision is affected in different-ways,
depending on what changes are occurring and in what part
of the retina they are happening.
Vision changes include blurred central or side vision, a
blind spot in the center of vision, cloudy or hazy vision, blind
spots or seeing floaters, Symptoms, however, often don’t
appear in the early stages of diabetic retinopathy.
That's why people with diabetes need to have a thorough
Courtesy of Dr. Thomas Casella, 767 Broad St. (Next to the Lamar Bldg.) ® (706)722-0817
Member, Georgia Optometrist Association
WEEKDAYS! & (00
STEP BY STEP = ity LIRE
5:00 PM T J
A DIFFERENT WORLD o I
S:3OPM. ‘*’;% ‘
FAMILY MATTERS
6:00 PM WEXGTV
builders recommend you work
toward an R-value of 13 for walls,
30 for attic and 19 for floors.
@ Fill the gaps. Heated air
can also escape from gaps that
develop where building materi
als meet. look for signs where
building materials have pulled
apart, and caulk or seal the gaps.
Check areas where exterior sid
ing meets windows and doors,
along the roof and foundation
lines, around chimneys and
where pipes protrude through
walls or roofs.
@® Inspectyour heating sys
tems. Consider replacing anold
erorinefficient heating unit with
a gas or oil furnace, or a heat
pump with a high efficiency rat
ing. If you currently have an
efficient system, inspect and
cleanit now. Be sure your filters
are clean, and that you change
them monthly.
® Grab asweater. Keep your
thermostat at 68 degrees Fahr
enheit during the winter. Con
sider replacing an existing ther
mostat with a timer model that
cies. If a hunter would like to
donate a deer and the deer is not
processed, it can be dropped off
at any of the following locations:
Country Style Processing
1494 Lone Star Rd.
Louisville, GA 30434
(912) 625-8107
Doug’s Meat Shop
3028 Deans Bridge Rd.
Augusta, GA 30906
(706) 793-6025
eye health and vision examination every year. Looking
inside the eye with an instrument that allows direct viewing
of the blood vessels there, the optometrist can diagnosis
diabetic retinopathy in its earliest stages, when treatment s
most effective.
Treatment for diabetic retinopathy involves laser and
surgical procedures. These are often successfulin reducing
the progression of this eye disease andin decreasing the risk
of vision loss. :
In addition to those who have had diabetes for a number
of years, other people with diabetes who have increased risk
for diabetic retinopathy are those who: have fluctuating
blnod sugar levels, are pregnant; have high blood pressure,
or smoke.
“Maintaining an adequate level of control of diabetes is an
important factorin preventing the developmentof ocularand
medical complications of diabetes,” says Dr. Jim McQuaig,
President, Georgia Optometric Association.
Livingßetter
can turn down the heat while
you sleep or when you are not at
home.
® Check your windows. Be
sure you have good storm win
dows and doors. Ifyou don’t, this
should be a high priority for old
er fixtures. Also, look for any
cracks around glass, sashes and
window frames that could be
leaking air.
Apply adhesive foam weather
strips to top and bottom window
rails or nail felt weather-strip
ping where window sash and
frames make contact. Ifyou live
in a home built since 1991, you
are likely to have double- or tri
ple-paned windows and low
emmissivity (low-E) glass. Both
of these products increase your
energy efficiency and can lower
your energy bills.
@® Clean gutters and down
spouts. Even though gutters
and downspouts don’t affect your
energy bills, they should be
checked twice a year. Gutters
and downspouts are traps for
falling leaves and pine needles,
Tucker’s Deer Processing
214 Briar Creek Estate Rd.
Waynesboro, GA 30830
(706) 554-4365
Hilda Grocery & Meat
Broghton St., Hwy. 304
Hilda, SC 29813
(803) 793-3180
Peeler’s Meat Processing
Highway 1
Wrens, GA 30833
(706) 547-2513
and squirrels can use them as
pantries for storing winter food.
Be sure to clean gutters thor
oughly, and pay special atten
tion to elbows and bends in the
downspouts. Keep hangers fas
tened securely. Plug any holes
and cracks. Repaint rusting com
ponents inside and out with rust
proof paint.
According to a recent survey
by the National Association of
Home Builders, three quarters
of today’s new home buyers rank
energy efficiency as one of their
most important considerations.
The builders of Augusta know
that saving money and energy is
important, and we are providing
new homes to do that. Once you
live in an energy efficient home,
routine maintenance is well
worth your time and effort to
keep your energy bills low and
your comfort level high.
For more information about
this article, or to schedule an
interview with one of our build
ers, call Ginger Ashford at 860-
2871,
Happy Valley Processing
206 Hobb’s Mill Rd.
Dearing, GA 30808
(706) 595-3777
Ralph’s Meat Processing
Hwy. 278
New Ellenton, SC 29803
(803) 652-2799
Angel’s Taxidermy
3755 Murry Rd.
Martinez, GA 30907
(706) 863-1098
Better Healthcare
Is Turning Up
All Over Augusta.
&
| 2 & Tomost Americans, healthcare is
¢ 2 serious issue. That's wfiy it's
' : comforting to know that all :
i " the resources of the %. ¢
: " Columbia Health System \ T
of Georgia are close at hand. Right % %
here in Augusta, our physi- ST Ret
¢ cians, nurses and staft stand ' : ;xk‘i |
ready to provide you with ‘;* t?; % 3
unsurpassed healthcare, , ’4 %
everywhere you turn. ,
Augusta Regional F 1 fyan
Medical Center iy 49
Serving the community since 5 , \\
; 1973, Augusta Regional Medical ~*#i %¥\ :
; Center is Columbia's preeminent egt ‘&
; healthcare facility in Augusta. 'g; %
: JCAHO accredited, our facility assures TR §
ff you and your family of receiving the high- T
est quality professional care available.
Specialty Services
.5 » THE BURN CENTER :
e e Since 1991, The Bum :
; o AN & Center hasbeenusing
i % W hyperbaric oxygen therapy
. W Rgpd P (HBO)aspartof our
;};‘ L comprehensive burn treat
' 3 % @ ment program. The Burn
: ™ = Center has also developed
Surgery Centers
Augusta Surgical Center
Columbia County
Ambulatory Surgery Center
Subscribe to AUGUSTA FOCUS today! Call 724-7855.
BraDLEY A. BERTRAM, M. D.
announces a new office location
for the practice of
- OPHTHALMOLOGY
and the continued care of the patients of
KenNETH Y. GLEITSMANN, M.D.
at 1228 Augusta West Parkway
- Augusta, GA 30909 i
: Patients are invited to call to
schedule appointments
(706) 868-6890 ¢ 800-541-1433 °
The Allen Firm
Roy L. Allen, II
C. Burch Banks
Adam Cerbone (of Counsel)
Specializing in:
Personal Injury/Accident Cases
Criminal Law, DUI & Traffic Offenses
Bankruptcy & Debt Reorganization
Governmental & Administrative Law
Insurance Law
Wills & Probate
No Charge for first consultation
Savannah
311 E. York Street
(912) 233-4914
Toll free throughout Ga.
1-800-533-0196
<> COLUMBIA
HEALTH SYSTEM + GEORGIA
AUGUSTA REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER
Primary Care Centers
Augusta R\-gmm} Medical Plaza
\ugusta Protessional Building
Columbia Counfy Medical Plaza
Better Healthcare, Everywhere You Turn
a special Wound Care Program utilizing HBO
and other treatment procedures developed for burn
therapy in treating non-healing wounds.
R PAIN RELIEF CENTER
S & Using a team approach, Augusta :
Be. Regional's Pain Relief Center provides
- X b the latest techniques to treat a variety
i S of pain syndromes such as back
! " % and joint pain, arthritis, and pain -
\- } ;«» resulting from cancer or reflex .
»B & i§. *’ sympathetic dystrophy (RSD). :
.@B & Diabetes Treatment
ES 8 Center '-
i Augusta Regional’s Diabetes "
? ; :_cs-:' Treatment Center provides
‘ ¥\ patients with the most up-to-date _.
| » " information and most effective ;
e " treatment programs available.
’ For All Your Healthcare Needs :
Whenever the need for quality health
care turns up, count on Augusta 5
Regional Medical Center first. Because :, l" ’
now that we're part of the Columbia ; <¢>
family, we have even more resources to
help everyone in Augusta feel better. 3
For More Information, ‘5 .
Call 1-800-COLUMBIA - f;
Freestanding Centers
West Augusta Radiation Oncology Center
West Augusta Imaging
Atlanta
301 Marietta Tower
Suite 3600
Atlanta, Georgia 30303
404-523-2868
Specialty Services
Diabetes Center
Mental Health Services
Occupational Health Services
