Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Eldercare Cottage Grove is 3.45 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
Food enjoyment improved in the latest survey
65% positive in 2025, compared with 47% in 2024: 18 percentage points higher.
More residents feel they have a say in daily life
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 93.2% across other homes.
Following up concerns is above the survey average
90% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 85.2% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 220 vs 219 minutes; registered nurses: 43 vs 44 minutes per resident per day.
Fewer residents say staff explain things consistently
60% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 81.8% across other homes.
Quality measures rating trails the national average
2 out of 5, compared with 3.07 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
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 | 89.33% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.47% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.49% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.59% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.83% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.26% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.19% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.97% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
What do residents say about Eldercare Cottage Grove?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 60% of residents surveyed at Eldercare Cottage Grove answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether staff explain things to them, below the 81.8% average across other homes by 21.8 percentage points. Answers were also below the average for other homes when residents were asked whether staff know what they are doing (75% against 89.5%) and whether staff are kind and caring (85% against 96.0%).
The largest gap above other homes was when residents were asked whether they have a say in their daily activities: 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 93.2%. Altogether, answers on 4 of the 10 questions other than food were at least 3 percentage points above the average for other homes.
What should you ask about on a visit?
On a visit, you can ask about how staff explain changes to care. Of residents asked whether staff explain things to them, 35% answered “always”, 25% “most of the time” and 40% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 80% of residents surveyed at Eldercare Cottage Grove answered “always” and 20% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 60% answered “always” and 35% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Eldercare Cottage Grove?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 65% of residents surveyed at Eldercare Cottage Grove said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 5.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share rose from 47% in 2024. Another 30% answered “some of the time” and 5% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Eldercare Cottage Grove spent $15 per resident per day on food, 6% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.52 per resident per day, 86% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Eldercare Cottage Grove 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”.
65% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How much care and nursing does Eldercare Cottage Grove provide?
In January to March 2026, Eldercare Cottage Grove reported 220 minutes of care per resident per day, 1 minute above its target of 219 minutes. Of those minutes, 43 came from registered nurses, 1 minute below the registered-nurse target of 44.
Eldercare Cottage Grove met both its total and registered-nurse targets in two of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 215 to 220 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 143 of the 220 minutes (65.0%), followed by registered nurses (43 minutes, 19.5%) and enrolled nurses (34 minutes, 15.5%). In the same quarter, Eldercare Cottage Grove also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
How does Eldercare Cottage Grove spend on resident care?
Total spending at Eldercare Cottage Grove in the 2024–25 financial year was $416.01 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 63.2% of it. Care and nursing spending of $263.05 was 1% below the sector median of $264.85. These figures are the home’s costs, not the fees a resident pays.
Where does the rest of the spending go?
Other categories included administration ($63.14), accommodation and maintenance ($25.42), and cleaning and laundry ($22.60) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($135.03) and registered nurses ($60.78).
