Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Cheltenham Parkside Care Community is 3.08 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. Three findings are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Worth a closer look
Food spending and enjoyment both fall below their benchmarks
$12 a day vs a $16 sector median; 61% enjoy meals vs 70.3% across other homes.
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 201 vs 217 minutes; registered nurses: 43 vs 44 minutes per resident per day.
Support for independence is below the survey average
61% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 88.6% 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 | 88.61% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.82% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.27% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.20% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.97% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.20% | 1354 |
Where is Cheltenham Parkside Care Community?
Cheltenham Parkside Care Community is at 13 Eagland Road, Cheltenham. The closest named places on OpenStreetMap are Norma Ave/Warrigal Rd (210 m), Nancy Street Reserve (230 m) and Mentone Dermatology (390 m). Every distance here is a straight line from the home’s mapped location, not a road route.
The nearest hospital is Kingston Centre, 1.7 km away. The closest GP or medical centre is Mentone Dermatology, at 390 m. The nearest pharmacy, Direct Chemist Outlet, is 440 m from the home. These distances matter most for residents who keep appointments outside the home, so it is worth asking how transport to them is arranged.
The nearest bus stop, Norma Ave/Warrigal Rd, is 210 m from the home. The closest train station is Mentone, 1.6 km away. For everyday errands, Foodworks supermarket is 630 m away and DFO Moorabbin is 1.1 km. For visitors and outings, Nancy Street Reserve is 230 m away, Mentone Public Library is 1.7 km and Mentone Baptist Church is 440 m.
Which facilities are closest?
- Bus stopNorma Ave/Warrigal Rd210 m
- ParkNancy Street Reserve230 m
- GP or medical centreMentone Dermatology390 m
- PharmacyDirect Chemist Outlet440 m
- Place of worshipMentone Baptist Church440 m
The four closest, on the map
Pins 1 to 4 are the four closest facilities, in the same order as the list.
Sources and Explanation
Each place is the nearest named facility of its kind on OpenStreetMap, measured in a straight line from the home’s mapped location. These are not walking or driving times, and the map may miss newer or unnamed places; check the route before relying on a distance.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, read 25 September 2026.
How much care and nursing does Cheltenham Parkside Care Community provide?
In January to March 2026, Cheltenham Parkside Care Community reported 201 minutes of care per resident per day, 16 minutes below its target of 217 minutes. Of those minutes, 43 came from registered nurses, 1 minute below the registered-nurse target of 44.
Cheltenham Parkside Care Community 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 201 to 210.
Who provides that care?
Of the 201 minutes, personal care workers provided 135 (67.2%), followed by registered nurses (43 minutes, 21.4%) and enrolled nurses (23 minutes, 11.4%). Cheltenham Parkside Care Community also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
What do residents say about Cheltenham Parkside Care Community?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 61% of residents surveyed at Cheltenham Parkside Care Community answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, below the 88.6% average across other homes by 27.6 percentage points. Answers were also below the average for other homes when residents were asked whether the home is well run (69% against 89.3%) and whether staff explain things to them (69% against 81.8%).
On 9 of the 10 questions other than food, answers at Cheltenham Parkside Care Community were at least 3 percentage points below the average for other homes, and on the rest they were within 3 percentage points.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about how staff support residents to do things for themselves. When residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, 38% answered “always”, 23% “most of the time” and 38% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Cheltenham Parkside Care Community were asked whether they feel safe, 54% answered “always” and 38% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 38% answered “always” and 46% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Cheltenham Parkside Care Community?
When residents surveyed at Cheltenham Parkside Care Community for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 61% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 9.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. Another 38% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
In January to March 2026, Cheltenham Parkside Care Community spent $12 per resident per day on food, 25% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.28 per resident per day, in line with the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Cheltenham Parkside Care Community 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”.
61% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
