You rarely hear about a change in eating on the phone. She says she had a good lunch, and you believe her because she usually does. The refrigerator is harder to talk around. Its contents show what got bought, what got used and what got left behind, and they do it without anyone choosing what to report.
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What to look at
Start with dates. Check milk, eggs, deli meat, opened sauces and leftovers. One shelf with a few items past their dates is common in any home. A row of old containers, each with a few spoonfuls left, suggests meals that were started and not finished, or food that stopped being eaten before it was thrown out.
Look for duplicates. Two open jars of the same condiment, three half-used cartons, or a freezer full of identical frozen dinners can mean she is buying from memory and forgetting what she already has. That is worth noticing, though it proves nothing by itself.
Notice what is missing. A fridge with only drinks in it, or with nothing fresh at all, after a stretch of normal shopping is a change from the last visit or photo. Compare against what you remember of her usual kitchen, not against a standard you found online.
How to check without making it a test
Ask the neighbor, the helper or a friend you trust to take a photo of each shelf and the freezer, with today's date visible on the phone. Keep the photos in one folder. If you have a photo from an earlier visit, put the two side by side. The comparison tells you more than any single shelf. Keep the check friendly, and do not ask her to explain what is in the fridge.
If you see pharmacy bags you did not expect, or bottles stacked in the door, do not sort or move them. Tell the family member who handles her medicine, and mention the pattern to her doctor or pharmacist. Sorting and managing medicine stays with the family, the doctor and the pharmacist.
For a wider set of home checks that fit alongside this one, see Start Here.
Tonight
Text whoever has access to the house and ask for one photo of each fridge shelf and the freezer. Ask them to note anything past its date, and anything they do not recognise, without throwing it out. Keep the photos where you will see them the next time you look.
Leave with the doctor
Bring a short list of what you have noticed about her eating, and whether it matches what she tells you on the phone. Ask whether the pattern deserves a checkup, and whether her appetite or weight should be reviewed at the next visit. Let the doctor decide what the pattern means.