Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Caravonica Waters is 3.49 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’ experience rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Residents report stronger support for independence
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 88.6% across other homes.
Getting needed care is above the survey average
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 94.5% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 219 vs 221 minutes; registered nurses: 38 vs 45 minutes per resident per day.
Staffing rating trails the national average
1 out of 5, compared with 3.19 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Enjoying the food is below the survey average
41% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 70.3% 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: 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 | 3.19 | 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 | 88.58% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.81% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.28% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.20% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
What is the food like at Caravonica Waters?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 41% of residents surveyed at Caravonica Waters said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 29.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share fell from 67% in 2024. Another 41% answered “some of the time” and 19% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Caravonica Waters spent $16 per resident per day on food, in line with the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.15 per resident per day, 46% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Caravonica Waters, 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”.
41% 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 Caravonica Waters?
When residents surveyed at Caravonica Waters for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 11.4 percentage points above the average of 88.6% across other homes. When residents were asked whether they get the care they need (100% against 94.5%) and whether the home is well run (93% against 89.3%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
The largest gap below other homes was when residents were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things: 81% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 85.2%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about how the home records and follows up concerns. Of residents asked whether staff follow up when they raise things, 48% answered “always”, 33% “most of the time” and 19% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe?
Asked whether they feel safe, 93% of residents surveyed at Caravonica Waters answered “always” and 7% “most of the time”.
How does Caravonica Waters spend on resident care?
Spending on care and nursing at Caravonica Waters in the 2024–25 financial year was $219.74 per resident per day, 17% below the sector median of $264.85. Total spending was $433.51 per resident per day. These amounts are the home’s costs, not the fees a resident pays.
Where does the rest of the spending go?
Other categories included accommodation and maintenance ($86.18), administration ($60.47), and cleaning and laundry ($26.84) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($133.38) and registered nurses ($54.51).
How much care and nursing does Caravonica Waters provide?
In January to March 2026, Caravonica Waters reported 219 minutes of care per resident per day, 2 minutes below its target of 221 minutes. Registered nurses provided 38 of those minutes, 7 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 45.
Caravonica Waters met both its total and registered-nurse targets in none of the last four quarters. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 219 to 223.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 177 of the 219 minutes (80.8%), followed by registered nurses (38 minutes, 17.4%) and enrolled nurses (4 minutes, 1.8%). In the same quarter, Caravonica Waters also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
