Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Carinya House is 3.93 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
Residents consistently describe respectful, caring staff
100% positive on respect and 100% on caring staff, versus 95.4% and 95.4% across other homes.
Staff communication is a relative strength
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 80.2% across other homes.
Following up concerns is above the survey average
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 84.2% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Food spending and enjoyment both fall below their benchmarks
$12 a day vs a $16 sector median; 31% enjoy meals vs 67.4% across other homes.
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
31% positive in 2026, compared with 77% in 2025: 46 percentage points lower.
Getting needed care is below the survey average
85% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 94.4% 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: 2026 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 2026 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 | 95.35% | 1080 |
| Feeling safe | 96.24% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.07% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.43% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.09% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.14% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.24% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.37% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.20% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.41% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.70% | 1080 |
What do residents say about Carinya House?
When residents surveyed at Carinya House for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether staff explain things to them, 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 19.8 percentage points above the average of 80.2% across other homes. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things (100% against 84.2%) and whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (100% against 87.1%).
The largest gap below other homes was when residents were asked whether they get the care they need: 85% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 94.4%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
On a visit, you can ask about how care plans are reviewed and changed. When residents were asked whether they get the care they need, 62% answered “always”, 23% “most of the time” and 15% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe?
When residents surveyed at Carinya House were asked whether they feel safe, 85% answered “always” and 15% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Carinya House?
When residents surveyed at Carinya House for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 31% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 36.4 percentage points below the average of 67.4% across other homes. The share fell from 77% in 2025. Another 69% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at Carinya House in January to March 2026 was $12 per resident per day, 25% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.36 per resident per day, 29% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Carinya House 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”.
31% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Carinya House spend on resident care?
Spending on care and nursing at Carinya House in the 2024–25 financial year was $291.53 per resident per day, 10% above the sector median of $264.85. Spending across all categories was $422.54 per resident per day. 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 accommodation and maintenance ($43.09), cleaning and laundry ($22.81) and administration ($19.75) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($168.41) and registered nurses ($70.59).
How much care and nursing does Carinya House provide?
Carinya House reported 232 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 2 minutes above its target of 230 minutes. Of those minutes, 46 came from registered nurses, matching the registered-nurse target of 46.
In two of the last four quarters, Carinya House met both its total and registered-nurse targets. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 230 to 233.
Who provides that care?
Per resident per day, personal care workers provided 185 minutes, followed by registered nurses (46 minutes). In the same quarter, Carinya House also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
