Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Arcare Nirvana Avenue is 4.15 out of 5, compared with a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive, and one is 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.
Care and registered-nurse targets met in four reported quarters
The latest quarter records 220 minutes against a 219-minute daily care target; RN time is 53 against 44.
Food enjoyment improved in the latest survey
67% positive in 2026, compared with 50% in 2025: 17 percentage points higher.
Worth a closer look
Fewer residents consistently feel safe
92% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 96.3% 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: 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 | 88.07% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.09% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.14% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.24% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.34% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.20% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.41% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.70% | 1080 |
What do residents say about Arcare Nirvana Avenue?
Asked in the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey whether staff explain things to them, 100% of residents surveyed at Arcare Nirvana Avenue answered “always” or “most of the time”, 19.8 percentage points above the average of 80.2% across other homes. When residents were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things (100% against 84.2%) and whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (100% against 87.1%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
The widest gap below other homes came when residents were asked whether they feel safe: 92% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 96.3%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
On a visit, you can ask about what the home does when a resident says they feel unsafe. Of residents asked whether they feel safe, 92% answered “always” and 8% “some of the time”; none answered “most of the time” or “never”.
Do residents get the care they need?
Asked whether they get the care they need, 67% of residents surveyed at Arcare Nirvana Avenue answered “always” and 25% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Arcare Nirvana Avenue?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 67% of residents surveyed at Arcare Nirvana Avenue said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 17 percentage points higher than the 50% recorded in 2025. Another 33% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at Arcare Nirvana Avenue in January to March 2026 was $18 per resident per day, 13% above the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, Arcare Nirvana Avenue reported no spending on dietitians, against a sector median of $0.28 per resident per day.
How are meals prepared?
According to Arcare Nirvana Avenue, 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”.
67% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Arcare Nirvana Avenue spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Arcare Nirvana Avenue spent $454.68 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 61.9% of it. Care and nursing spending of $281.43 was 6% 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 ($44.47), accommodation and maintenance ($41.81), and cleaning and laundry ($35.16) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($139.22) and registered nurses ($89.13).
How much care and nursing does Arcare Nirvana Avenue provide?
In January to March 2026, Arcare Nirvana Avenue reported 220 minutes of care per resident per day, 1 minute above its target of 219 minutes. Of those minutes, 53 came from registered nurses, 9 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 44.
In each of the last four quarters, Arcare Nirvana Avenue met both its total and registered-nurse targets. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 220 to 225.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 165 minutes per resident per day, followed by registered nurses (53 minutes) and enrolled nurses (1 minute). In the same quarter, Arcare Nirvana Avenue also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
