Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Estia Health Ardeer is 4.15 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive, and two are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Care and registered-nurse targets met in four reported quarters
The latest quarter records 238 minutes against a 227-minute daily care target; RN time is 48 against 45.
Staffing rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.18 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
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
70% positive in 2025, compared with 92% in 2024: 22 percentage points lower.
Kind and caring staff is below the survey average
92% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 96.0% 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 | 89.33% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.47% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.48% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.58% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.81% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.26% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.19% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
How much care and nursing does Estia Health Ardeer provide?
In January to March 2026, Estia Health Ardeer reported 238 minutes of care per resident per day, 11 minutes above its target of 227 minutes. Registered nurses provided 48 of those minutes, 3 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 45.
Estia Health Ardeer met both its total and registered-nurse targets in each of the last four quarters. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 228 to 241.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 177 minutes per resident per day, followed by registered nurses (48 minutes) and enrolled nurses (14 minutes). In the same quarter, Estia Health Ardeer also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
How does Estia Health Ardeer spend on resident care?
Spending on care and nursing at Estia Health Ardeer in the 2024–25 financial year was $318.71 per resident per day, 20% above the sector median of $264.85. Total spending was $451.29 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?
Other categories included administration ($51.59), accommodation and maintenance ($34.02), and cleaning and laundry ($17.50) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($170.28) and registered nurses ($78.86).
What is the food like at Estia Health Ardeer?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 70% of residents surveyed at Estia Health Ardeer said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 22 percentage points lower than the 92% recorded in 2024. Another 31% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at Estia Health Ardeer in January to March 2026 was $13 per resident per day, 19% below the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.28 per resident per day, in line with the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Estia Health Ardeer, 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”.
70% 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 Estia Health Ardeer?
When residents surveyed at Estia Health Ardeer for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 11.4 percentage points above the average of 88.6% across other homes. When residents were asked whether staff explain things to them (92% against 81.8%) and whether staff follow up when they raise things (92% against 85.2%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
The widest gap below other homes came when residents were asked whether staff are kind and caring: 92% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 96.0%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
On a visit, you can ask about how staff get to know each resident. When residents were asked whether staff are kind and caring, 54% answered “always”, 38% “most of the time” and 8% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Estia Health Ardeer were asked whether they feel safe, 46% answered “always” and 54% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 69% answered “always” and 31% “most of the time”.
