Handok Inc. was designated as the first company in the pharmaceutical industry to be a ‘leader in dementia conquest’ by the Central Dementia Center and the Seoul Metropolitan Dementia Center. “Leader in dementia conquest” refers to a company that not only improves “negative impressions” of dementia but also makes efforts to create a dementia-friendly culture in which dementia patients and their families feel safe and comfortable.

In cooperation with the Central Dementia Center and Seoul Metropolitan Dementia Center, Handok Inc. has completed running an educational course on dementia for 900 executives and employees. For the program, Handok Inc. first selected 48 executives last December to participate in a special “Memory Friend Leader” educational course organized by the Seoul Metropolitan Dementia Center and Gangnam-gu Dementia Center. Once the 48 specially-trained executives completed their course they then carried on the dementia education by training their employees from January through February. Thus, a “memory friend leader” is a person who has been certified to train “memory friends.” A “memory friend” refers to a person who has appropriate knowledge on dementia and solid response methods to understand and help dementia patients and their families.

In the future, Handok Inc. plans to conduct a nationwide campaign to provide correct information on dementia and thus improve the negative perception that people often have regarding the affliction. Going forward, Handok Inc. plans to hold various activities to help address the issue of dementia, such as adding dementia education as a part of its introductory education for new employees.