Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Cooee Lodge is 3.63 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.
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 87.1% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 223 vs 219 minutes; registered nurses: 43 vs 44 minutes per resident per day.
Compliance rating trails the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 4.83 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
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 | 88.08% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.43% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.08% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.14% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.24% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.33% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.21% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.41% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.70% | 1080 |
What is the food like at Cooee Lodge?
When residents surveyed at Cooee Lodge for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 77% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 9.7 percentage points above the average of 67.3% across other homes. The share fell from 84% in 2025. Another 23% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at Cooee Lodge in January to March 2026 was $21 per resident per day, 31% above the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, Cooee Lodge reported no spending on dietitians, against a sector median of $0.28 per resident per day.
How are meals prepared?
Cooee Lodge 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”.
77% 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 Cooee Lodge?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 100% of residents surveyed at Cooee Lodge answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, 12.9 percentage points above the average of 87.1% across other homes. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether staff explain things to them (93% against 80.2%) and whether staff know what they are doing (100% against 89.1%).
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?
A visit is a chance to ask about how care plans are reviewed and changed. When residents were asked whether they get the care they need, 85% answered “always” and 15% “some of the time”; none answered “most of the time” or “never”.
Do residents feel safe?
When residents surveyed at Cooee Lodge were asked whether they feel safe, 85% answered “always” and 15% “most of the time”.
How much care and nursing does Cooee Lodge provide?
In January to March 2026, Cooee Lodge reported 223 minutes of care per resident per day, 4 minutes above its target of 219 minutes. Of those minutes, 43 came from registered nurses, 1 minute below the registered-nurse target of 44.
Cooee Lodge met both its total and registered-nurse targets in two of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 217 to 228 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Of the 223 minutes, personal care workers provided 177 (79.4%), followed by registered nurses (43 minutes, 19.3%) and enrolled nurses (3 minutes, 1.3%). In the same quarter, Cooee Lodge also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
How does Cooee Lodge spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Cooee Lodge spent $400.80 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 63.2% of it. Care and nursing spending of $253.40 was 4% 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 ($36.37), cleaning and laundry ($29.19), and accommodation and maintenance ($25.56) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($160.55) and registered nurses ($60.39).
