To play devil’s advocate, a bulging battery is a safety issue. Lithium batteries are absolutely evil when they thermally run away, and one of the things that can cause it is an unstable battery, which is definitely the case with a bulging battery. A fire from a lithium battery is quite literally impossible to exitinguish as it supplies its own fuel and oxidiser. The only thing you can do is let it burn and self-extinguish. It’s why EV fires are so dangerous.
If this person had an iPad, they could most likely get it fixed for free (providing the tablet is less than 7 years old—the obsolescence cutoff date), but knowing someone on the dole, it’s probably not an iPad.
Also, I found the perfect song for Lou.