Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Donwood Community Aged Care Services is 3.86 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.
Quality measures rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.06 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Residents’ experience rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 228 vs 219 minutes; registered nurses: 39 vs 44 minutes per resident per day.
Staffing rating trails the national average
2 out of 5, compared with 3.18 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Fewer residents feel they have a say in daily life
86% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 92.7% 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 | 3.06 | 2456 |
| Respectful treatment | 95.35% | 1080 |
| Feeling safe | 96.24% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.07% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.08% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.15% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.26% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.34% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.21% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.41% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.71% | 1080 |
How much care and nursing does Donwood Community Aged Care Services provide?
In January to March 2026, Donwood Community Aged Care Services reported 228 minutes of care per resident per day, 9 minutes above its target of 219 minutes. Of those minutes, 39 came from registered nurses, 5 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 44.
In none of the last four quarters did Donwood Community Aged Care Services meet both its total and registered-nurse targets. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 191 to 228 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 160 of the 228 minutes (70.2%), followed by registered nurses (39 minutes, 17.1%) and enrolled nurses (29 minutes, 12.7%). In the same quarter, Donwood Community Aged Care Services also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What do residents say about Donwood Community Aged Care Services?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 100% of residents surveyed at Donwood Community Aged Care Services answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether the home is well run, above the 88.1% average across other homes by 11.9 percentage points. When residents were asked whether staff know what they are doing (100% against 89.1%) and whether they get the care they need (100% against 94.4%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
The widest gap below other homes came when residents were asked whether they have a say in their daily activities: 86% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 92.7%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about how residents have a say in daily activities. Of residents asked whether they have a say in their daily activities, 48% answered “always”, 38% “most of the time”, 10% “some of the time” and 5% “never”.
Do residents feel safe?
When residents surveyed at Donwood Community Aged Care Services were asked whether they feel safe, 90% answered “always” and 10% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Donwood Community Aged Care Services?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 67% of residents surveyed at Donwood Community Aged Care Services said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, within 3 percentage points of the 67.3% average across other homes. The share rose from 61% in 2025. Another 24% answered “some of the time” and 10% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Donwood Community Aged Care Services spent $17 per resident per day on food, 6% above the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.59 per resident per day, 111% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Donwood Community Aged Care Services 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”.
67% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Donwood Community Aged Care Services spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Donwood Community Aged Care Services spent $401.10 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 64.4% of it. Care and nursing spending of $258.43 was 2% 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 ($39.45), accommodation and maintenance ($31.62), and cleaning and laundry ($24.52) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($132.12) and registered nurses ($53.09).
