Neglect is slow enough to look harmless until its work is finished.

The pace of neglect is what makes it dangerous. Nothing changes noticeably from one week to the next, so there is never a moment where alarm is warranted, and the total effect only becomes visible once it is substantially complete. Slowness is not gentleness, it is simply a lack of warning.

Compare things against a year ago rather than against last week. That interval is long enough to make the drift visible while there is still time to act on it.