Loneliness raises your risk of serious health problems by 59 percent. Would you trust an AI companion to change those odds?
In Episode 112, Raju Joshi shares what most people learn too late: that the biggest signals of cognitive decline don’t show up on medical charts. They show up in silence. In missed moments. In the space between “I’m fine” and what someone really wanted to say.
Now, as Chief Clinical Officer of Cogensus, Raju is building something different. A platform that listens for what families and clinicians often miss. So we can intervene earlier, talk more meaningfully, and preserve what makes someone feel like themselves.
She joined Cogensus to help build a system that captures what the healthcare system misses: the emotional, cognitive, and social shifts that shape how people age. As she puts it, “Innovation isn’t a sex-based trait or a culturally driven issue. It’s identifying a problem, creating a solution using calculated risk, and benefiting your customer.”
Key Takeaways from Episode 112
The World Health Organization estimates that dementia and Alzheimer‑related care cost 1.3 trillion dollars in 2019 and will rise sharply as populations age. So there is a clear business case for what Cogensus is building.
- Loneliness and cognitive decline are deeply connected. Raju explains how shrinking social circles and solo living increase cognitive risk. This impacts women disproportionately as they live alone more often, provide 70% of caregiving hours and tend to delay care for themselves.
- AI can help address loneliness and cognitive decline with empathy and dignity. Most check-ins ask about mood and medication. Cogensus goes further. It engages individuals in conversation beyond just medical topics, fostering a fuller understanding of their lives and alleviating loneliness.
- Cogensus’ solution reaches beyond elder care. In the future, Cogensus can use the same approach for supporting veterans who isolate after service and athletes at risk for concussion‑related dementia.
Raju’s north star is agency: giving people the data they need, at the moment they need it, to stay connected and in control of their lives.
To hear her full story, including her take on inclusion in tech, listen to episode 112 of Women Disrupting Tech on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube. Or scroll down for Magical Moments and Practical Takeaways.
How Cogensus Uses AI to Tackle Loneliness and Cognitive Decline with Raju Joshi | Ep. 112 – Women Disrupting Tech
- Key Takeaways from Episode 112
- 3 Magic Quotes Defining This Episode
- Inclusive Events for Women Disrupting Tech
- A Question for You 🤔
- Meaningful Moments of the Episode
- 5 Practical Insights for Building Ethical, Inclusive AI
- Amplify the Voices of Women Disrupting Tech
- My Personal Reflections
- About Raju Joshi
- About Cogensus
- Share what’s on your mind!
- Coming Up On Women Disrupting Tech
3 Magic Quotes Defining This Episode
“We want patients to have agency over their own life.”
Raju Joshi, Co-founder and Chief Clinical Officer of Cogensus
This episode reframes aging as not just a medical process, but a social one. It’s also a call to rebalance where we invest research, tools, and care. Here are three lines that capture the heart of the conversation. Each one opens a door to a bigger truth:
- “People are so much more than the medications that they’re on.” (27:08)
This quote says in one line what many systems forget. It’s the emotional thesis behind Cogensus. Data that respects the whole person. - “We want patients to have agency over their own life.” (46:22)
One of the most powerful ethical stakes in the episode. Raju makes it clear that tech should support autonomy, not replace it. - “There is a need for the female perspective in the work that is being created.” (54:39)
This is both a statement of fact and a rallying cry. It reminds us that inclusion isn’t just about fairness. It’s about better design, better outcomes, and better futures.
What is the moment that stood out to you? Let me know in the comments.
🎧 Ready to hear more? Listen to Episode 112 on Spotify.
BTW, know someone who needs to hear this? Use the buttons to share this post with them.
Inclusive Events for Women Disrupting Tech
As the summer holiday has started, the event season will take a break. Below is one event you definitely want to check out. For a full overview of all events, including links to buy tickets, please check the events page.
Founders Beach Series | Edition 3: Tech & Soul
Date: 11 September 2025
Location: Mango’s Beach Bar, Zandvoort
Time: 15:00 – 22:00 hours
Tickets: On Luma
A Question for You 🤔
Would you feel comfortable talking to an AI about your mood or memory?
Let me know in the comments or message me directly. I’d love to hear your take.
Meaningful Moments of the Episode
03:36 – Raju Joshi and Cogensus
05:47 – Personal Motivation Behind Joining Cogensus
09:01 – Understanding Cognitive Health and Loneliness
10:45 – The Impact of Aging on Health
13:18 – Gender Differences in Cognitive Decline
15:25 – Delays in Diagnosis and Treatment
17:02 – Current Understanding of Cognitive Decline
19:50 – Introducing the AI-Enabled Solution
21:47 – Insights for Caregivers
24:51 – Differentiating from Chatbots and Passive Listening
31:36 – Building Trust in AI Conversations
33:42 – The Importance of Human Connection
36:20 – Building Trust with Technology for the Elderly
39:13 – Personal Experience in Tech Development
41:05 – Expanding the Scope of Cogensus
43:05 – Understanding CTE and Its Implications
44:52 – Addressing Loneliness in Veterans
47:49 – AI’s Role in Enhancing Human Care
50:33 – Balancing Ambition and Community Needs
53:11 – Navigating the Funding Landscape
56:51 – Encouraging Female Founders
1:00:37 – Shifting Mindsets for Inclusion
5 Practical Insights for Building Ethical, Inclusive AI
About 33 minutes into our conversation, I pick Raju’s brain on how we can build ethical, responsible and inclusive AI solutions for healthcare. If you are designing technology for vulnerable users, these tips from Raju offer a clear roadmap:
- Keep usability simple. This is how you build trust, especially with older adults. Raju emphasizes that trust is won through design, not just intention.
- Know your use case. Cogensus focuses on cognitive health and loneliness, not general diagnostics. That clarity helps it stay responsible and relevant.
- Design for emotional safety. Some people feel more comfortable confiding in a bot than a family member. Don’t dismiss that. Raju’s example of the airplane seat confidant explains this perfectly.
- Build for people who are curious, not just tech-savvy. Raju’s father-in-law represents the kind of user often left out. Curious, not fluent, and eager to feel seen.
- Give users agency. Good AI doesn’t over-monitor. It listens when asked, and steps back when not needed. Finding that balance is the goal.
🎧 For the full conversation on how Cogensus uses AI to tackle loneliness and cognitive decline, listen to Episode 112 on Apple Podcasts
Or click the image below to listen on YouTube.
“There is a need for the female perspective in the work that is being created.”
Raju Joshi, Chief Clinical Officer and co-founder of Cogensus.
Amplify the Voices of Women Disrupting Tech
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Send this episode to a friend, a colleague, or someone who needs to hear it. Every share helps to build a more inclusive tech future and supports my guests in getting the stage they deserve.
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My Personal Reflections
The best thing that can happen when you make a podcast is that it gives you tools and inspiration to change your behavior for the positive.
This episode made me look differently at what it means to care for my aging mother. I realized how easy it is to miss the signals when our conversations stay surface-level.
What stuck with me most was how Raju spoke about the emotional blind spots in caregiving and how technology, when used thoughtfully, can help us see them.
Her storytelling also stands out. She brings warmth and clarity through analogies: the airplane seat confidant, the hesitant elder who’ll talk to Siri but not their kids.
And she understands tech trust like few others, naming her 94-year-old father-in-law as someone who’s not tech-savvy but deeply curious. That curiosity, she says, is enough.
In the end, I’m convinced that Raju and her team are building something timely, urgent, and deeply human.
Listen to Episode 112 of Women Disrupting Tech wherever you listen to podcasts to hear the full conversation.
About Raju Joshi
Raju Joshi is Co-founder and Chief Clinical Officer at Cogensus. Trained in biomedical sciences and epidemiology, she brings more than 30 years of experience across the healthcare spectrum—academic research, payers, long-term-care pharmacies, Medtronic, Amgen, and Deloitte Consulting.
After losing her mother-in-law to dementia and her father soon after, Raju saw how symptom-focused care often ignores the emotional and social realities of aging. She joined Cogensus first as an advisor and board member, then stepped into an executive role to build AI tools that preserve agency, reduce loneliness, and give clinicians richer context.
You can connect with Raju on LinkedIn.
About Cogensus
Cogensus is a digital health platform that uses conversational AI and sentiment analysis to surface potential early signals of cognitive change and loneliness in older adults.
Via an avatar-led dialogue, the system tracks memory, verbal fluency, and social factors, turning those patterns into actionable insights for families and clinicians.
Cogensus is not a diagnostic tool; it provides insights on loneliness and preserves personal stories. In 2025 the company was selected for the Caduceus Health Accelerator, and currently it is raising $1.5 million to expand pilot programs with insurers, providers, and senior-living communities.
You can learn more about Cogensus on the website and by following the company on LinkedIn.
Share what’s on your mind!
Should inclusion be tied to performance reviews and promotions in tech?
Let me know what you think and how we can start doing this in the comments below.
And if you would like to suggest a guest or a theme for the podcast, please let me know via email or send a DM on LinkedIn.
Coming Up On Women Disrupting Tech
Next week, we go back to basics: Femke Brouwer exposes how systemic bias in work, home, and education keeps tech unequal. And she calls on men and women to redesign a system that works for everyone.
In this clip, she shares why gender equality in tech and beyond benefits all of us.
So stay tuned for this and much more on Women Disrupting Tech. And until the next episode: Keep Being Awesome!
Women Disrupting Tech | The Podcast 
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