Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Altona Gardens Care Community is 3.08 out of 5, compared with a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive, and three are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Residents consistently describe respectful, caring staff
100% positive on respect and 100% on caring staff, versus 95.4% and 95.4% across other homes.
Getting needed care is above the survey average
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 94.4% across other homes.
Staff communication is a relative strength
85% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 80.3% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 220 vs 226 minutes; registered nurses: 42 vs 45 minutes per resident per day.
Staffing rating trails the national average
2 out of 5, compared with 3.18 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Compliance rating trails the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 4.83 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
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: 2026 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 2026 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 | 95.35% | 1080 |
| Feeling safe | 96.25% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.08% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.08% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.17% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.25% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.34% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.22% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.41% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.71% | 1080 |
How much care and nursing does Altona Gardens Care Community provide?
In January to March 2026, Altona Gardens Care Community reported 220 minutes of care per resident per day, 6 minutes below its target of 226 minutes. Registered nurses provided 42 of those minutes, 3 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 45.
Altona Gardens Care Community met both its total and registered-nurse targets in none of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 214 to 220 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 164 of the 220 minutes (74.5%), followed by registered nurses (42 minutes, 19.1%) and enrolled nurses (14 minutes, 6.4%). Altona Gardens Care Community also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
What is the food like at Altona Gardens Care Community?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 70% of residents surveyed at Altona Gardens Care Community said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, within 3 percentage points of the 67.3% average across other homes. The share fell from 77% in 2025. Another 23% answered “some of the time” and 8% “never”.
Food spending at Altona Gardens Care Community in January to March 2026 was $11 per resident per day, 31% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.15 per resident per day, 46% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Altona Gardens Care Community reports that 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”.
70% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Altona Gardens Care Community spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Altona Gardens Care Community spent $302.83 per resident per day on care and nursing, 14% above the sector median of $264.85. Total spending was $473.46 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?
Spending on other categories included accommodation and maintenance ($63.48), administration ($32.41), and cleaning and laundry ($32.06) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($169.99) and registered nurses ($68.77).
What do residents say about Altona Gardens Care Community?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 100% of residents surveyed at Altona Gardens Care Community answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether they get the care they need, 5.6 percentage points above the average of 94.4% across other homes. When residents were asked whether staff explain things to them (85% against 80.3%) and whether staff treat them with respect (100% against 95.4%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
The widest gap below other homes came when residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves: 69% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 87.2%. Altogether, answers on 4 of the 10 questions other than food were at least 3 percentage points below the average for other homes.
What should you ask about on a visit?
On a visit, you can ask about how staff support residents to do things for themselves. When residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, 38% answered “always”, 31% “most of the time” and 31% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe?
Asked whether they feel safe, 46% of residents surveyed at Altona Gardens Care Community answered “always” and 46% “most of the time”.
