Nobody sends a group text about sheets. Laundry does not fall apart in one afternoon. It slides one load at a time, and the first sign is usually the hamper by the door, not the bed.
Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.
Count what should have been washed
Pick three things that go through the wash on a set schedule: bed sheets, bath towels, and the clothes Mom wears to bed. Write down when each was last changed, the way you would note a meter reading. If the gap between changes keeps stretching past what the family agreed to, the lapse has started. Do not wait for a smell to make the decision for you.
Look at the basket and the machine
Check the hamper, the floor of the laundry corner, and the dryer lint trap. A full basket that has been moved from one corner to another is not progress. Ask who ran the washer last. If nobody can name the last load, that is your first line item.
Name who owns the load
Helping is a favor. Owning is a job with a day attached. Write one name next to sheets and towels, and one day of the week next to that name. If the name defaults to you, say so in the group text and put the day in the calendar, so the work stops depending on who happens to notice.
Set a check you can keep
Once a week is enough for most homes: one look at the bed linens, one look at the towel rack, one look at the basket. Keep a short log on the fridge or in your phone. Two missed weeks in a row is the point to call a family meeting, not a month later.
If the sheets are slipping alongside missed visits or dropped calls, the signs usually point at the same plan. Start with the checklist on Start here.