Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Aegis Stirling is 3.82 out of 5, compared with 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
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 232 vs 220 minutes; registered nurses: 43 vs 44 minutes per resident per day.
How well the home is run is below the survey average
62% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 89.3% across other homes.
Enjoying the food is below the survey average
47% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 70.3% 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 | 81.82% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.28% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.21% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
What do residents say about Aegis Stirling?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 62% of residents surveyed at Aegis Stirling answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether the home is well run, below the 89.3% average across other homes by 27.3 percentage points. Answers were also below the average for other homes when residents were asked whether staff know what they are doing (69% against 89.5%) and whether staff follow up when they raise things (69% against 85.2%).
On 8 of the 10 questions other than food, answers at Aegis Stirling were at least 3 percentage points below the average for other homes, and on the rest they were within 3 percentage points.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about who runs the home day to day and how changes are communicated. Of residents asked whether the home is well run, 31% answered “always”, 31% “most of the time”, 35% “some of the time” and 4% “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 54% of residents surveyed at Aegis Stirling answered “always” and 42% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 54% answered “always” and 27% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Aegis Stirling?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 47% of residents surveyed at Aegis Stirling said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 23.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share rose from 40% in 2024. Another 42% answered “some of the time” and 12% “never”.
Food spending at Aegis Stirling in January to March 2026 was $17 per resident per day, 6% above the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.22 per resident per day, 21% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Aegis Stirling, 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”.
47% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How much care and nursing does Aegis Stirling provide?
In January to March 2026, Aegis Stirling reported 232 minutes of care per resident per day, 12 minutes above its target of 220 minutes. Registered nurses provided 43 of those minutes, 1 minute below the registered-nurse target of 44.
In one of the last four quarters, Aegis Stirling met both its total and registered-nurse targets. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 232 to 238.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 185 of the 232 minutes (79.7%), followed by registered nurses (43 minutes, 18.5%) and enrolled nurses (4 minutes, 1.7%). Aegis Stirling also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
How does Aegis Stirling spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Aegis Stirling spent $378.17 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 69.2% of it. Care and nursing spending of $261.82 was 1% below the sector median of $264.85. 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 ($27.23), cleaning and laundry ($23.33), and accommodation and maintenance ($17.98) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($151.28) and registered nurses ($58.05).
