Your friend needs to go back to the beginning and treat the dog as you would a puppy just learning. Take them out often and give them a word or phrase such as "go potty" or "hurry up" and when the dog pees reward them (I would use food in this case) and run straight back inside. The crate needs to be cleaned and deoderized and the dog should only have room to lie in the crate, if he has room to walk from one end to the other he will potty on one end and sleep on the other. I would shampoo the carpet and use an emzyne product to take the "pee" scent out as much as possible. It is important to remove the scent of mistakes especially with an older dog so that they can realize that the house is not the bathroom.
Keep the dog confined when not able to watch it (to prevent accidents) and be consistant and patient. I will say that without total involvement from the owner and a willingness to invest the time and energy in the training there is little hope of changing the behaviour but if the owner is willing to watch the dog and to take it out often (this means the owner must go outside with the dog and stay until the dog has gone) and control the dog inside until they are certain the dog understands what is being requested, then there is for sure hope. I find older dogs easier to house train than puppies for the simple reason that they can hold it, they just need to be shown where to go.
You might also have your friend rule out any medical issue.
Owned by:
Gunnar the Bee Eating Vizsla and
Hektor the Pig Dawg Dogo Argentino
"I had learned not to care. I blew a few smoke rings, remembering those years. Pot had helped, and booze; maybe a little blow when you could afford it. Not smack, though. ..." -- Barack Obama