Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Amana Living Hale Hostel is 4.04 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
Care and registered-nurse targets met in four reported quarters
The latest quarter records 194 minutes against a 178-minute daily care target; RN time is 42 against 37.
Staffing rating exceeds the national average
5 out of 5, compared with 3.18 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Residents report stronger support for independence
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 88.6% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Enjoying the food is below the survey average
46% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 70.3% across other homes.
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
46% positive in 2025, compared with 72% in 2024: 26 percentage points lower.
Following up concerns is below the survey average
69% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 85.2% 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 | 95.86% | 1354 |
| Feeling safe | 96.45% | 1354 |
| How well the home is run | 89.32% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.47% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.48% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.58% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.81% | 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 |
How much care and nursing does Amana Living Hale Hostel provide?
In January to March 2026, Amana Living Hale Hostel reported 194 minutes of care per resident per day, 16 minutes above its target of 178 minutes. Registered nurses provided 42 of those minutes, 5 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 37.
Amana Living Hale Hostel met both its total and registered-nurse targets in each of the last four quarters. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 183 to 194.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 136 of the 194 minutes (70.1%), followed by registered nurses (42 minutes, 21.6%) and enrolled nurses (16 minutes, 8.2%). In the same quarter, Amana Living Hale Hostel also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists and dietitians.
What is the food like at Amana Living Hale Hostel?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 46% of residents surveyed at Amana Living Hale Hostel said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 24.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share fell from 72% in 2024. Another 38% answered “some of the time” and 15% “never”.
Food spending at Amana Living Hale Hostel in January to March 2026 was $19 per resident per day, 19% above the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.46 per resident per day, 64% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Amana Living Hale Hostel reports that breakfast, lunch and dinner are all prepared by the cook-chill method. Of all meals, 50% are prepared on site and the rest off site.
Do residents enjoy the food?
Residents who answered “Always” or “Most of the time”.
46% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
What do residents say about Amana Living Hale Hostel?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 100% of residents surveyed at Amana Living Hale Hostel answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, 11.4 percentage points above the average of 88.6% across other homes. When residents were asked whether staff treat them with respect (100% against 95.9%) and whether the home is well run (93% against 89.3%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
The widest gap below other homes came when residents were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things: 69% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 85.2%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
On a visit, you can ask about how the home records and follows up concerns. When residents were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things, 31% answered “always”, 38% “most of the time” and 31% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Amana Living Hale Hostel were asked whether they feel safe, 92% answered “always” and 8% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 62% answered “always” and 31% “most of the time”.
How does Amana Living Hale Hostel spend on resident care?
Total spending at Amana Living Hale Hostel in the 2024–25 financial year was $405.70 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 59.6% of it. Care and nursing spending of $241.67 was 9% below the sector median of $264.85. These amounts are the home’s costs, not the fees a resident pays.
Where does the rest of the spending go?
Spending on other categories included administration ($62.70), accommodation and maintenance ($31.40), and cleaning and laundry ($24.57) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($107.90) and registered nurses ($61.49).
