NASMM Welcomes New Industry Partner — Artifcts!
Artifcts is a purpose driven community that empowers us all to capture and preserve the meaning and the stories behind the objects of our lives. Artifcts allows your clients to save their special memories, declutter and purge without worry or guilt, and share our stories with friends and family to ensure they live on for generations.

Artifcts is easy to use. Choose an object, take a picture (or two or three), add a story (it doesn't have to be long), and save. You're done! If you want to do more you can attach documentation for insurance purposes (certificates of appraisal, reciepts, etc.). You can also print a QR code and attach it to your Artifct; QR codes are a great way to bring your Artifct to life. You can also easily export a single Artifct or your entire collection with a click of a button, making it easy for you to include your Artifcts in your will or estate plan.

Artifcts is ad-free, and puts your privacy and security first. We do not sell your personal information. Subscriptions start at $36/year for up to 30 Artifcts, or $89/year for unlimited Artifcts and the ability to add up to three friends and family members to your account. For more information, visit www.artifcts.com!

NASMM will be hosting a Business Development Webinar with Artifcts on Wednesday October 27. Watch your email for registration information.

A+ Submission Window Opens October 1 – 31.
If you are currently working on your NASMM A+ Accreditation, the next submission window opens on October 1 and closes on October 31. The next submission window is January 1-31, 2022.

NASMM Increases CE Requirements for SMM~C and NASMM A+ Renewals
The NASMM A+ Accreditation & Certification Commission has recommended the following changes to NASMM’s continuing education requirements for those members renewing certification and/or NASMM A+ Accreditation. The NASMM Board of Directors has approved these changes, and these changes are effective immediately. The change in these requirements mirrors continuing education requirements for similar organizations and are in keeping with NASMM's commitment to enhancing the professionalism of our designations.

Renewal Requirements by Year:

1. CE Renewal Requirements
   1. If your certification renews in 2021 you will need 9 CEs for renewal
   2. If your certification renews in 2022 you will need 20 CEs for renewal
   3. If your certification renews in 2023 you will need 30 CEs for renewal
   4. If your certification renews in 2024 or after you will need 45 CEs for renewal


2. CEs must be a minimum of 30 minutes as a baseline, and then can be counted in 15 minute increments (e.g., 45 minutes, 1 hour 15 minutes). This metric is based on the idea that one continuing education unit is equivalent to one hour of education.


3. Accepted CEs may be any of the following:
   1. NASMM conference session attendance
   2. Watching NASMM conference recordings
   3. Any NASMM online course offering
   4. Outside organizations' live presentations or online courses in the following topics
      1. Leadership (including finance, HR, employment issues, marketing and sales, process improvement)
      2. Move management (including downsizing, organizing, packing, decorating, working with movers and other vendors, alternative revenue streams)
      3. Aging topics
      4. Safety
      5. Client communication and interactions
      6. Technology
      7. Ethics
   5. Proof of CEs, course completion or attendance should be submitted; if not, notes from coursework could serve as proof of attendance


4. As of 2024, 25 units of the 45 CEs must be obtained directly from NASMM conferences or courses.

NASMM 2022 In Person! Join us in Philadelphia, October 20-23, 2022!
We are so excited to announce the dates and location of NASMM 2022! We're bringing NASMM 2022 to PHILADELPHIA – October 20-23! Philly is where NASMM was founded and it's only fitting we celebrate NASMM's 20th anniversary in NASMM's birthplace!

Information on making your room reservations will be available later in October. We can't wait to be back together!

Maximize Savings with NASMM's Member Savings Program
From shipping to credit card processing, office supplies and more, maximize your savings with NASMM's Member Savings Program. This program, exclusively for NASMM members provides you with deep discounts with brands you trust including UPS, FedEX, HP, Office Max and more! Click here for more information! Questions? Contact Mark Shiavone at mark@membersavingsprogram.com.

NASMM Member in the News! Losing a Mate: 8 Expert Tips To Help Bereaved Partners Move On At Home
"Everywhere I look, I see a life we built together." I am on the phone with Bob Glockler, a recent widower. Like many who have lost a mate, he has a foot in two worlds: He wants to preserve and honor the memories of his late wife, yet also move forward to make the most of the rest of his life. He is 83.
Read more.

Finding Memories, and Mom's Sewing Stuff, in a Reused Cookie Tin
The containers we use over and over, from Cool Whip tubs to Taster's Choice jars, can evoke stronger feelings than the food that came in them.
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Alone: The Decline of the Family Has Unleashed an Epidemic of Loneliness
Americans are suffering from a bad case of loneliness. The number of people in the United States living alone has gone through the studio-apartment roof. A study released by the insurance company Cigna last spring made headlines with its announcement: "Only around half of Americans say they have meaningful, daily face-to-face social interactions." Loneliness, public-health experts tell us, is killing as many people as obesity and smoking.
Read more.

77% of Assisted Living Providers Say Staffing Crisis Getting Worse
It’s no secret that staffing challenges have long plagued the senior living industry, but a new survey shows many operators believe those headwinds have intensified in recent months.
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The Villages Is a Success Story, But Many of Us Want Something Different in a Place to Live as We Get Older
We learned from the 2020 U.S. Census that the fastest growing metro area in the nation is The Villages, a master-planned retirement community in central Florida. In a demographically changing and urbanizing America, this dominantly white, politically conservative stronghold bucked the trend as retirees lured by warm winters, pastel-hued homes, golf carts and pickleball courts flocked in.
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Ageism Is Alive and Well in Advertising
It was an advertisement that warmed hearts across Europe last holiday season — and, eventually, many in the United States by way of social media. An older man who appears to struggle just to get out of bed shuffles to a shed, where he starts lifting an ancient barbell. A neighbor rolls her eyes. Even his daughter is concerned. But the man persists. The payoff comes at a Christmas party where the man lifts his young granddaughter to put a star on the tree — his goal all along. Only then are you shown the logo of the Dutch pharmacy company DocMorris.
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'Grandfluencers' Defy Age Limits as TikTok Content Creators
Lagetta Wayne, with 130,500 followers amassed since joining in June 2020, owes her social media success to a teenage granddaughter. Her very first video, a garden tour, clocked 37,600 likes. "One day my garden was very pretty and I got all excited about that and I asked her if she would take some pictures of me," Ms. Wayne recalled. "She said she was going to put me on TikTok and I said, well, what is TikTok? I had never heard of it." Ms. Wayne, at 78, has teens asking her to be their grandmother as she tends to her vegetables and cooks them up in Suisun City, California, as @msgrandmasgarden on TikTok. She is among a growing number of "grandfluencers," folks 70 and up who have amassed substantial followings on social media with the help of decades-younger fans.
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Retirement Researcher 'Frustrated' by Retirees' Reticence to Tap Home Equity
When looking at the field of study most closely associated with retirement in the United States, it can be frustrating to look at what is often an older person's biggest potential asset when seeing that people are either unable or unwilling to tap into it to stabilize their financial situation on a fixed income.
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