Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Amana Living Lefroy Care Centre is 4.04 out of 5, against 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 95.9% and 96.0% across other homes.
Staffing rating exceeds the national average
5 out of 5, compared with 3.18 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Getting needed care is above the survey average
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 94.5% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Food spending and enjoyment both fall below their benchmarks
$14 a day vs a $16 sector median; 46% enjoy meals vs 70.3% across other homes.
Fewer residents feel they have a say in daily life
61% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 93.2% across other homes.
Support for independence is below the survey average
61% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 88.6% 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 | 89.33% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.47% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.48% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.61% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.83% | 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 | 93.22% | 1354 |
What do residents say about Amana Living Lefroy Care Centre?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 61% of residents surveyed at Amana Living Lefroy Care Centre answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether they have a say in their daily activities, 32.2 percentage points below the average of 93.2% across other homes. When residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (61% against 88.6%) and whether staff explain things to them (61% against 81.8%), answers were also below the average for other homes.
The largest gap above other homes was when residents were asked whether they get the care they need: 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 94.5%. Altogether, answers on 3 of the 10 questions other than food were at least 3 percentage points above the average for other homes.
What should you ask about on a visit?
On a visit, you can ask about how residents have a say in daily activities. When residents were asked whether they have a say in their daily activities, 38% answered “always”, 23% “most of the time” and 38% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe?
When residents surveyed at Amana Living Lefroy Care Centre were asked whether they feel safe, 69% answered “always” and 23% “most of the time”.
How much care and nursing does Amana Living Lefroy Care Centre provide?
Amana Living Lefroy Care Centre reported 258 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 50 minutes above its target of 208 minutes. Registered nurses provided 63 of those minutes, 21 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 42.
Amana Living Lefroy Care Centre met both its total and registered-nurse targets in three of the last four quarters. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 219 to 258.
Who provides that care?
Of the 258 minutes, personal care workers provided 171 (66.3%), followed by registered nurses (63 minutes, 24.4%) and enrolled nurses (24 minutes, 9.3%). Amana Living Lefroy Care Centre also reported spending on physiotherapists, speech pathologists and dietitians in the same quarter.
What is the food like at Amana Living Lefroy Care Centre?
When residents surveyed at Amana Living Lefroy Care Centre for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 46% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 24.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share fell from 100% in 2024. Another 46% answered “some of the time” and 8% “never”.
Food spending at Amana Living Lefroy Care Centre in January to March 2026 was $14 per resident per day, 13% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $2.91 per resident per day, 939% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Amana Living Lefroy Care Centre reports that breakfast, lunch and dinner are all prepared by the cook-chill method. Of all meals, 42% 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
How does Amana Living Lefroy Care Centre spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Amana Living Lefroy Care Centre spent $459.38 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 63.3% of it. Care and nursing spending of $290.61 was 10% above 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 ($63.54), accommodation and maintenance ($33.86), and cleaning and laundry ($26.36) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($132.86) and registered nurses ($66.76).
