Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Abberfield Aged Care Facility is 3.34 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. One finding stands out as positive, and three are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Staffing rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.18 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Worth a closer look
Enjoying the food is below the survey average
31% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 70.3% across other homes.
Following up concerns is below the survey average
53% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 85.2% across other homes.
Fewer residents say staff explain things consistently
50% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 81.8% across other homes.
Sources and Explanation
This is a programmatic interpretation of published data, not an in-person inspection or a separate expert-assigned score. The figures are the Elderberry Index and its four government component ratings; a measure the home has no published rating for is left out. Our rating methodology.
Ratings: August 2026. Survey comparisons: 2025 interview responses from that extract. Other Australian homes in the same ratings extract; survey comparisons also require the same interview year. Each eligible home has equal weight; missing/invalid values excluded. These are descriptive comparisons, not resident-weighted or adjusted for differences in care needs.
How findings are selected
Survey gaps of at least 3 percentage points, rating gaps of at least 0.3 stars, and changes of at least 10 percentage points can qualify. These are editorial selection thresholds, not tests of statistical significance. Benchmarks need at least 30 homes. Each side shows up to three eligible findings; missing values never become negative findings. Specific combined food evidence and sustained care-target results are prioritised, then larger differences. Respect and caring are grouped when both qualify.
Food spending uses the My Aged Care sector median for Jan–Mar 2026; resident enjoyment comes from the 2025 survey. The combined finding reports two separate observations from different reporting periods; it does not establish that spending caused the survey result. Year-to-year survey samples may differ and respondent counts are unavailable. Care consistency uses the latest four submitted, quality-checked care-minute records and direct RN minutes without EN top-up.
A lower compliance rating is a comparison with other homes, not a claim of an active sanction. Higher expenditure alone is not treated as better care. Unadjusted clinical incident measures are not used to rank quality here.
My Aged Care home profile · Government Star Ratings extract
Benchmark populations
| Measure | Mean | Other homes |
|---|---|---|
| Elderberry Index | 3.81 | 2365 |
| Residents’ experience | 3.62 | 2434 |
| Compliance | 4.83 | 2395 |
| Staffing | 3.18 | 2454 |
| Quality measures | 3.07 | 2456 |
| Respectful treatment | 95.87% | 1354 |
| Feeling safe | 96.45% | 1354 |
| How well the home is run | 89.35% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.48% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.49% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.60% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.84% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.29% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.22% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.97% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.20% | 1354 |
What do residents say about Abberfield Aged Care Facility?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 53% of residents surveyed at Abberfield Aged Care Facility answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether staff follow up when they raise things, 32.2 percentage points below the average of 85.2% across other homes. When residents were asked whether staff explain things to them (50% against 81.8%) and whether the home is well run (65% against 89.3%), answers were also below the average for other homes.
At Abberfield Aged Care Facility, answers were at least 3 percentage points below the average for other homes on all 10 questions other than food.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about how the home records and follows up concerns. Of residents asked whether staff follow up when they raise things, 15% answered “always”, 38% “most of the time” and 46% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 54% of residents surveyed at Abberfield Aged Care Facility answered “always” and 38% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 35% answered “always” and 46% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Abberfield Aged Care Facility?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 31% of residents surveyed at Abberfield Aged Care Facility said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 39.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share fell from 53% in 2024. Another 42% answered “some of the time” and 27% “never”.
Food spending at Abberfield Aged Care Facility in January to March 2026 was $15 per resident per day, 6% below the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.52 per resident per day, 86% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Abberfield Aged Care Facility, breakfast, lunch and dinner are all cooked fresh. All meals are prepared on site.
Do residents enjoy the food?
Residents who answered “Always” or “Most of the time”.
31% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Abberfield Aged Care Facility spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Abberfield Aged Care Facility spent $232.27 per resident per day on care and nursing, 12% below the sector median of $264.85. Spending across all categories was $390.60 per resident per day. These figures are the home’s costs, not the fees a resident pays.
Where does the rest of the spending go?
Other categories included administration ($40.93), accommodation and maintenance ($40.20), and cleaning and laundry ($39.50) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($129.36) and registered nurses ($49.95).
How much care and nursing does Abberfield Aged Care Facility provide?
In January to March 2026, Abberfield Aged Care Facility reported 206 minutes of care per resident per day, matching its target of 206 minutes. Of those minutes, 43 came from registered nurses, 1 minute above the registered-nurse target of 42.
Abberfield Aged Care Facility met both its total and registered-nurse targets in one of the last four quarters. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 194 to 206.
Who provides that care?
Of the 206 minutes, personal care workers provided 155 (75.2%), followed by registered nurses (43 minutes, 20.9%) and enrolled nurses (8 minutes, 3.9%). In the same quarter, Abberfield Aged Care Facility also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
