Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Bundaleer Gardens Hostel is 3.93 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Residents consistently describe respectful, caring staff
101% positive on respect and 100% on caring staff, versus 95.9% and 96.0% across other homes.
Enjoying the food is above the survey average
94% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 70.2% across other homes.
Food enjoyment improved in the latest survey
94% positive in 2025, compared with 58% in 2024: 36 percentage points higher.
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 | 89.47% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.58% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.81% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.24% | 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 Bundaleer Gardens Hostel?
When residents surveyed at Bundaleer Gardens Hostel for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 94% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 23.8 percentage points above the average of 70.2% across other homes. The share rose from 58% in 2024. Another 6% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at Bundaleer Gardens Hostel in January to March 2026 was $16 per resident per day, in line with the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.13 per resident per day, 54% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Bundaleer Gardens Hostel, 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”.
94% 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 Bundaleer Gardens Hostel?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 101% of residents surveyed at Bundaleer Gardens Hostel answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, 12.4 percentage points above the average of 88.6% across other homes. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether staff explain things to them (94% against 81.8%) and whether staff follow up when they raise things (94% against 85.2%).
At Bundaleer Gardens Hostel, answers were at least 3 percentage points above the average for other homes on 9 of the 10 questions other than food, and within 3 percentage points on the rest.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Bundaleer Gardens Hostel were asked whether they feel safe, 81% answered “always” and 19% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 88% answered “always” and 6% “most of the time”.
Do residents have a say in daily life?
For choice and independence, the share of “always” or “most of the time” answers at Bundaleer Gardens Hostel was 100% when asked whether they have a say in their daily activities.
How much care and nursing does Bundaleer Gardens Hostel provide?
Bundaleer Gardens Hostel reported 218 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 9 minutes above its target of 209 minutes. Registered nurses provided 43 of those minutes, matching the registered-nurse target of 43.
In three of the last four quarters, Bundaleer Gardens Hostel met both its total and registered-nurse targets. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 197 to 218 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 174 minutes per resident per day, followed by registered nurses (43 minutes). Bundaleer Gardens Hostel also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
How does Bundaleer Gardens Hostel spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Bundaleer Gardens Hostel spent $424.27 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 59.0% of it. Care and nursing spending of $250.34 was 5% below 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?
Other categories included administration ($59.15), accommodation and maintenance ($39.73), and cleaning and laundry ($30.20) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($137.32) and registered nurses ($57.45).
