Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Anam Cara is 3.63 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 101% on caring staff, versus 95.9% and 96.0% across other homes.
Residents’ experience rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Staff communication is a relative strength
92% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 81.8% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Food spending and enjoyment both fall below their benchmarks
$14 a day vs a $16 sector median; 50% enjoy meals vs 70.3% across other homes.
Compliance rating trails the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 4.83 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Confidence in staff skills is below the survey average
79% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 89.5% 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 | 89.34% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.47% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.49% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.59% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.81% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.28% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.19% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
What is the food like at Anam Cara?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 50% of residents surveyed at Anam Cara said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 20.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. Another 50% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at Anam Cara 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 $0.22 per resident per day, 21% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Anam Cara, breakfast, lunch and dinner are all prepared by the cook-chill method. Of all meals, 28% are prepared on site and the rest off site.
Do residents enjoy the food?
Residents who answered “Always” or “Most of the time”.
50% 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 Anam Cara?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 92% of residents surveyed at Anam Cara answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether staff explain things to them, 10.2 percentage points above the average of 81.8% across other homes. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (96% against 88.6%) and whether staff follow up when they raise things (92% against 85.2%).
The largest gap below other homes was when residents were asked whether staff know what they are doing: 79% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 89.5%. Altogether, answers on 2 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?
A visit is a chance to ask about the training staff receive. Of residents asked whether staff know what they are doing, 58% answered “always”, 21% “most of the time” and 21% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Anam Cara were asked whether they feel safe, 88% answered “always” and 8% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 79% answered “always” and 17% “most of the time”.
How much care and nursing does Anam Cara provide?
Anam Cara reported 225 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 2 minutes above its target of 223 minutes. Registered nurses provided 45 of those minutes, matching the registered-nurse target of 45.
Anam Cara met both its total and registered-nurse targets in two of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 223 to 227 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Of the 225 minutes, personal care workers provided 178 (79.1%), followed by registered nurses (45 minutes, 20.0%) and enrolled nurses (2 minutes, 0.9%). Anam Cara also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
