My work brings me into lots of institutions where the elderly and disabled are cared for. I see many very different atmospheres reigning in these places. In some, there is a genuine sense of caring and the residents are happy. In others, you can feel the suffocating apathy as soon as you walk in the door.
The caregivers in many institutions are there not because they feel it’s their calling, but because it’s a job of last resort. They’re very poorly paid, and deal with bodily discharges for a good chunk of the day. They work in an environment that reeks of disinfectant and urine. They often hear far more complaints than praise or gratitude. All this really sets a person up for apathy. They feel no personal connection for their charges, no compassion. They’re like so much livestock.
Remember how shocked the public was when video was released of heartless treatment of animals at a slaughterhouse? Work in that environment shuts down compassion, and compassion is really the only thing keeping us from treating each other like shit.