Yes it does look fairly unhappy. It looks like it was pretty rootbound. Repot it into a larger container with fresh soil. I wouldn;t wash the roots or anything drastic, just plop that root ball int a new home. You can just snip the yellow leaves off.
The care between the different aroids is largely based on whether a plant is terrestrial or epiphytic. The Monsteras, Rhaphidophoras like tetrasperma and decursiva, the Epipremnums, and the climbing Philodendrons are mainly classed as hemi-epiphytic, meaning that they can start in soil but then become climbing epiphytes with adventitious roots. They can also start out of soil, rooted in crevices of rocks or trees in leaf litter and be epiphytic from there. Or, they can start rooted in soil, and later decide to sever that connection and grow as pure epiphytes. Many Anthuriums can also grow as epiphytes.
For your purpose, you should treat your plant as a hemi-epiphyte/terrestrial. It will need to be sized up in pot size occasionally as it becomes root bound so that it can uptake water more efficiently.
