hello George,
Wouldn't it be wonderful if she could get that AV to thrive and really be an impressive plant so that she could make her MIL proud? :)

Here's some of the ways that she can increase the possibiity of that plant doing better:
- gently pull the plant up and out of the pot
- depending on the size of the plant, remove the outer ring of leaves where they come out of the main stem.
- look for any suckers (tiny plants that have started growing out of the main plant) and gently remove them
- gently break apart the root system left and massage away some of the soil around the root ball
- clean out any soil or fertilizer residue in/on the pot
- repot back into a pot that is 1/2 the width of the plant's width
- use a soiless mix of 1 parts each of peat moss, vermicullite and perlite
- enjoy!

There's probably others here who will have something more to add that can help out your friend.

Leaving the plant just as it is will only increase the possibility that the plant will continue on a demise.

Make it a great day!
Dora