I'm sorry to have missed your response! I think there must be very wide differences of care and attention offered to elderly/diminished capacity, folk, around the world. I'm sure that there must be many that would be very grateful to be watched at all. It may well be the case that in your own locality "it takes a lot to draw attention" as you describe.
Here, it is simply a matter of age..

*Real* care, always begins with making contact, communication, asking questions. Not in thinking of people as mindless sheep to be herded, or controlled.