They will do whatever you to tell them to do. If she has no one they will probably use it for haircuts. They often have someone come to do manicures and pedicures. which always seem to make women feel special.

Find out and get it in writing what will be done, by whom, and when. Many nursing homes do have volunteers doing hair cuts etc. Also, sometimes if the person belongs to a Senior citizen club, foot care may be paid for by the club. Ours does as long as we pay our dues.
Go in and don't be afraid to ask who gets the money, when and will they notify you on a monthly basis.
Guess I am too suspicious as to some homes just taking money bits and pieces. Do they keep a separate account for each person? Is is one account, with different accounts? Is the money kept in the bank? Paid out once a month? each time? Please you need to know how her money will be handled.

My mom lived in a nursing home for quite a few years and she had a resident account. The nursing home managed all transactions in/out of the account and we got a monthly statement - it was in the envelope with the nursing home regular bill. It looked just like a bank statement. When my mom first moved in there, bingo and 25cent prizes were part of her daily life so any bingo winnings she had went into the account. Cash prizes for bingo were 'outlawed' so that revenue source stopped. The cost of hair and manicure appts were deducted from the account when the stylists needed to be paid. If the account got too low (ie it couldn't cover the cost of a hair appointment), we sent a check to add to the balance.

This was a great tool for us because we didn't have to deal with the nickel and dime expenses yet we could oversee the activity.

I doubt if the account would be available for family members to use for incidentals. My mother and her sister both had one. We put the initial amount in. It was used for hair and other extras. They gave us an accounting and when it ran low, we added to it. It was not deducted from their pension or social security amounts (which were all needed for the monthly fee)

My mother in law only had her social security. She was lucky in that she didn't have a pension too. She was allowed 25.00 per month for her own use. My mother and her sister weren't as lucky. Since they each had a pension, they were not eligible to receive the 25.00 from SS.

So, I would say it depends on the NH, and the kind of payment they receive.

There is so much to worry about when you have a loved one in a care home, that $50. would be at the bottom of my list of priorities.