Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for BaptistCare Kularoo Centre is 3.71 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive, and two 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.
Residents’ experience rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Enjoying the food is above the survey average
83% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 70.3% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 222 vs 226 minutes; registered nurses: 45 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.
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 | 88.59% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.81% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.25% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.19% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
How much care and nursing does BaptistCare Kularoo Centre provide?
BaptistCare Kularoo Centre reported 222 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 4 minutes below its target of 226 minutes. Registered nurses provided 45 of those minutes, matching the registered-nurse target of 45.
BaptistCare Kularoo Centre met both its total and registered-nurse targets in two of the last four quarters. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 213 to 234.
Who provides that care?
Of the 222 minutes, personal care workers provided 177 (79.7%), followed by registered nurses (45 minutes, 20.3%). In the same quarter, BaptistCare Kularoo Centre also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What is the food like at BaptistCare Kularoo Centre?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 83% of residents surveyed at BaptistCare Kularoo Centre said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 12.7 percentage points above the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share rose from 80% in 2024. Another 18% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at BaptistCare Kularoo Centre in January to March 2026 was $17 per resident per day, 6% above the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.38 per resident per day, 36% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
BaptistCare Kularoo Centre 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”.
83% 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 BaptistCare Kularoo Centre?
Asked in the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey whether staff explain things to them, 93% of residents surveyed at BaptistCare Kularoo Centre answered “always” or “most of the time”, 11.2 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 they have a say in their daily activities (100% against 93.2%).
On 9 of the 10 questions other than food, answers at BaptistCare Kularoo Centre were at least 3 percentage points above the average for other homes, and on the rest they were within 3 percentage points.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at BaptistCare Kularoo Centre were asked whether they feel safe, 93% answered “always” and 7% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 50% answered “always” and 43% “most of the time”.
How does BaptistCare Kularoo Centre spend on resident care?
Total spending at BaptistCare Kularoo Centre in the 2024–25 financial year was $421.44 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 58.7% of it. Care and nursing spending of $247.47 was 7% below the sector median of $264.85. These figures are the home’s costs, not the fees a resident pays.
Where does the rest of the spending go?
Other categories included administration ($64.25), accommodation and maintenance ($38.06), and cleaning and laundry ($25.96) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($156.63) and registered nurses ($57.90).
