Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Bolton Clarke Cazna Gardens is 3.82 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.
Care and registered-nurse targets met in four reported quarters
The latest quarter records 223 minutes against a 216-minute daily care target; RN time is 46 against 43.
Food enjoyment improved in the latest survey
72% positive in 2025, compared with 60% in 2024: 12 percentage points higher.
Worth a closer look
How well the home is run is below the survey average
72% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 89.3% across other homes.
Residents’ experience rating trails the national average
3 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Following up concerns is below the survey average
76% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 85.2% 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 | 94.48% | 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 Bolton Clarke Cazna Gardens provide?
In January to March 2026, Bolton Clarke Cazna Gardens reported 223 minutes of care per resident per day, 7 minutes above its target of 216 minutes. Registered nurses provided 46 of those minutes, 3 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 43.
In each of the last four quarters, Bolton Clarke Cazna Gardens met both its total and registered-nurse targets. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 217 to 224.
Who provides that care?
Of the 223 minutes, personal care workers provided 170 (76.2%), followed by registered nurses (46 minutes, 20.6%) and enrolled nurses (7 minutes, 3.1%). Bolton Clarke Cazna Gardens also reported spending on podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
What do residents say about Bolton Clarke Cazna Gardens?
When residents surveyed at Bolton Clarke Cazna Gardens for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether the home is well run, 72% answered “always” or “most of the time”, below the 89.3% average across other homes by 17.3 percentage points. When residents were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things (76% against 85.2%) and whether they get the care they need (88% against 94.5%), answers were also below the average for other homes.
The largest gap above other homes was when residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves: 96% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 88.6%. 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?
A visit is a chance to ask about who runs the home day to day and how changes are communicated. When residents were asked whether the home is well run, 32% answered “always”, 40% “most of the time” and 28% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe?
Asked whether they feel safe, 72% of residents surveyed at Bolton Clarke Cazna Gardens answered “always” and 20% “most of the time”.
How does Bolton Clarke Cazna Gardens spend on resident care?
Total spending at Bolton Clarke Cazna Gardens in the 2024–25 financial year was $370.54 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 64.6% of it. Care and nursing spending of $239.35 was 10% 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?
Spending on other categories included administration ($36.26), accommodation and maintenance ($32.91), and cleaning and laundry ($26.94) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($148.88) and registered nurses ($61.15).
What is the food like at Bolton Clarke Cazna Gardens?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 72% of residents surveyed at Bolton Clarke Cazna Gardens said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 12 percentage points higher than the 60% recorded in 2024. Another 16% answered “some of the time” and 12% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Bolton Clarke Cazna Gardens spent $16 per resident per day on food, in line with the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.23 per resident per day, 18% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Bolton Clarke Cazna Gardens reports that breakfast is cooked fresh, while lunch and dinner are prepared by the cook-chill method. Of all meals, 49% are prepared on site and the rest off site.
Do residents enjoy the food?
Residents who answered “Always” or “Most of the time”.
72% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
