The house often tells you something before anyone else does. Dishes start to stack, the trash waits by the door a day longer than it used to, and the fridge holds something you would not buy. It is easy to explain each one away. The useful question is not whether any single thing is wrong, but whether the house is slipping in a direction that has a pattern.
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Set a route before you look
Ask her, or whoever visits, to take the same photos each time from the same spots: the sink and counter, the inside of the fridge, the bathroom sink and tub, the laundry basket or hamper, the front step and trash spot, and the bed. Keep the photos to the same angle. A consistent route is what makes a change visible. Random snapshots tell you very little.
Compare with a known good week
Your best baseline is the last time you were in the house and it felt normal to you. Compare the new photos with those, and note what is different. Some changes mean very little: a week of takeout or a delayed laundry day. Look for things that repeat, such as food that has gone past its date, the same clothes worn several days in a row, bins that are not taken out on the usual day, or dishes that stay in the sink for a day or more.
Also note what has happened between the two points. An illness, a fall, a hospital stay, a long winter week or a visitor who stopped coming can all change the house for a while. The question is whether the change is still there after the reason has passed.
Separate a bad week from a changed pattern
A bad week is usually tied to something outside the routine and ends when the routine returns. A changed pattern shows up across several weeks and does not match her usual habits. Ask yourself whether she has always been tidy, whether she has ever let things pile up, and whether she notices the mess herself. A parent who sees the clutter and is bothered by it is in a different place from one who does not see it at all.
What to do tonight
Ask someone you trust to take photos of the sink, fridge, bathroom, hamper, trash spot and bed tomorrow, from the same spots each time. Set the photos next to the ones from your last good visit, if you have them. If you do not have photos from a good visit, write down what you remember about the kitchen and bathroom, then ask a person who knows her well to do the same.
What to leave with the doctor
Bring a short written list: each change you have seen, what it looked like before, and about how long it has been going on. Include anything that has happened in between, such as a fall, an illness or a hospital stay, and any medicine she takes. Ask the doctor whether these changes are worth looking into and what they would want to check. Describe the house, not a diagnosis, and let the doctor decide what it means. For a starting point on the next steps, see Start Here.