Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Bethanie Waters is 3.6 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
Food enjoyment improved in the latest survey
75% positive in 2025, compared with 53% in 2024: 22 percentage points higher.
Enjoying the food is above the survey average
75% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 70.3% across other homes.
Kind and caring staff is above the survey average
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 96.0% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 229 vs 221 minutes; registered nurses: 44 vs 45 minutes per resident per day.
Residents’ experience rating trails the national average
3 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Fewer residents consistently feel safe
85% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 96.5% 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 | 96.46% | 1354 |
| How well the home is run | 89.33% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.48% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.48% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.59% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.81% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.26% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.20% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
How much care and nursing does Bethanie Waters provide?
In January to March 2026, Bethanie Waters reported 229 minutes of care per resident per day, 8 minutes above its target of 221 minutes. Registered nurses provided 44 of those minutes, 1 minute below the registered-nurse target of 45.
In none of the last four quarters did Bethanie Waters meet both its total and registered-nurse targets. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 229 to 236.
Who provides that care?
Per resident per day, personal care workers provided 159 minutes, followed by registered nurses (44 minutes) and enrolled nurses (27 minutes). In the same quarter, Bethanie Waters also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What is the food like at Bethanie Waters?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 75% of residents surveyed at Bethanie Waters said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 4.7 percentage points above the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share rose from 53% in 2024. Another 21% answered “some of the time” and 4% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Bethanie Waters spent $19 per resident per day on food, 19% above the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.37 per resident per day, 32% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Bethanie Waters 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”.
75% 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 Bethanie Waters?
When residents surveyed at Bethanie Waters for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they feel safe, 85% answered “always” or “most of the time”, below the 96.5% average across other homes by 11.5 percentage points. When residents were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things (79% against 85.2%) and whether they get the care they need (89% against 94.5%), answers were also below the average for other homes.
The widest gap above other homes came when residents were asked whether staff are kind and caring: 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 96.0%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about what the home does when a resident says they feel unsafe. When residents were asked whether they feel safe, 71% answered “always”, 14% “most of the time” and 14% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents have a say in daily life?
For choice and independence, the share of “always” or “most of the time” answers at Bethanie Waters was 93% when asked whether they have a say in their daily activities and 86% when asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves.
How does Bethanie Waters spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Bethanie Waters spent $460.26 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 62.1% of it. Care and nursing spending of $285.87 was 8% 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 ($92.42), accommodation and maintenance ($24.78), and cleaning and laundry ($20.18) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($156.86) and registered nurses ($61.86).
