SK Chemical Leads ESG in 'Dementia'... Distributing AI Cognitive Improvement Program

SK Chemicals employees are demonstrating 'Sound Mind,' an AI-based cognitive function improvement program developed by the social venture Edware.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] SK Chemicals, SK Bioscience, and SK Plasma are joining hands with social ventures as part of their Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) management efforts to address dementia, a rising social issue in the aging era.

On the 3rd, SK Chemicals announced that it will distribute the AI-based cognitive improvement program "Sound Mind" through 36 elderly day and night care centers located in Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi Province, and Cheongju-si, Chungbuk Province, where the three companies' business sites are located.

Sound Mind is a cognitive and language training program developed by the social venture Idware. Utilizing proprietary voice recognition and AI technology, it is an application service designed to prevent dementia or delay symptoms in high-risk groups such as the elderly and those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Developed in collaboration with clinical experts including neurologists and university speech pathology departments, the program is based on over 100 brain training contents covering memory, language, perception, thinking, and attention. Cognitive assessments are conducted every 12 weeks, and based on the results, AI recommends personalized training tailored to the individual's characteristics. Additionally, customized content such as dementia exercises and Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) to support users' physical and emotional activities is provided. For operators of elderly day and night care centers, statistics on users' cognitive training status and changes in cognitive abilities are also offered, enabling objective and efficient management based on data. This program will be provided to high-risk individuals requiring cognitive function improvement through the 36 elderly day and night care centers participating in the campaign.

The program is conducted in cooperation with the "Sesang File Elderly Dementia Prevention Project," which seeks sustainable solutions for preventing and delaying symptoms of dementia in the elderly. Sesang File is a project of the Happiness Sharing Foundation that develops solutions to social problems.

SK Chemicals expects that the cognitive abilities of high-risk dementia patients within the centers will improve through this program. SK Chemicals plans to verify the cognitive function improvement effects through continuous program monitoring and expand the distribution of Sound Mind to 74 cooperating elderly day and night care centers, including those in Andong-si, Gyeongbuk Province, and Ulsan, within this year.

Kim Cheol-jin, Head of Management Support at SK Chemicals, emphasized, "As aging progresses rapidly, the number of dementia patients is continuously increasing. This is emerging as a significant social issue as it affects not only individual health but also the lives and economic activities of caregiving families." He added, "We expect that this program will help prevent the onset of dementia in high-risk groups or delay the worsening of symptoms in early mild patients."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.