Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Estia Health Mount Coolum is 3.78 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’ experience rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
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.
Getting needed care is above the survey average
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 94.5% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Food spending and enjoyment both fall below their benchmarks
$13 a day vs a $16 sector median; 54% enjoy meals vs 70.3% across other homes.
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 221 vs 214 minutes; registered nurses: 43 vs 44 minutes per resident per day.
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 | 89.47% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.59% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.81% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.27% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.20% | 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 Mount Coolum provide?
Estia Health Mount Coolum reported 221 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 7 minutes above its target of 214 minutes. Of those minutes, 43 came from registered nurses, 1 minute below the registered-nurse target of 44.
Estia Health Mount Coolum met both its total and registered-nurse targets in three of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 215 to 231 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Per resident per day, personal care workers provided 167 minutes, followed by registered nurses (43 minutes) and enrolled nurses (12 minutes). In the same quarter, Estia Health Mount Coolum also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What is the food like at Estia Health Mount Coolum?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 54% of residents surveyed at Estia Health Mount Coolum said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 16.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share rose from 46% in 2024. Another 36% answered “some of the time” and 9% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Estia Health Mount Coolum spent $13 per resident per day on food, 19% below the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.34 per resident per day, 21% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Estia Health Mount Coolum, 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”.
54% 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 Mount Coolum?
When residents surveyed at Estia Health Mount Coolum for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they have a say in their daily activities, 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, above the 93.2% average across other homes by 6.8 percentage points. When residents were asked whether they get the care they need (100% against 94.5%) and whether staff know what they are doing (95% against 89.5%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
The largest gap below other homes was when residents were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things: 77% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 85.2%. In all, answers on 2 of the 10 questions other than food were at least 3 percentage points below the average for other homes.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about how the home records and follows up concerns. Of residents asked whether staff follow up when they raise things, 36% answered “always”, 41% “most of the time” and 23% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe?
Asked whether they feel safe, 82% of residents surveyed at Estia Health Mount Coolum answered “always” and 14% “most of the time”.
How does Estia Health Mount Coolum spend on resident care?
Total spending at Estia Health Mount Coolum in the 2024–25 financial year was $404.49 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 64.1% of it. Care and nursing spending of $259.36 was 2% 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 ($53.86), accommodation and maintenance ($37.53), and cleaning and laundry ($24.85) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($131.59) and registered nurses ($75.80).
