Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Garden City Retirement Home is 3.71 out of 5, against 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 95.9% and 96.0% across other homes.
Following up concerns is above the survey average
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 85.2% across other homes.
Enjoying the food is above the survey average
85% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 70.2% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 219 vs 222 minutes; registered nurses: 51 vs 44 minutes per resident per day.
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
85% positive in 2025, compared with 100% in 2024: 15 percentage points lower.
Staffing rating trails the national average
2 out of 5, compared with 3.18 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 | 89.32% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.47% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.47% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.58% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.81% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.25% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.18% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.20% | 1354 |
What do residents say about Garden City Retirement Home?
When residents surveyed at Garden City Retirement Home for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things, 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 14.8 percentage points above the average of 85.2% across other homes. When residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (100% against 88.6%) and whether staff explain things to them (93% against 81.8%), 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: 85% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 93.2%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
On a visit, you can ask about how residents have a say in daily activities. Of residents asked whether they have a say in their daily activities, 54% answered “always”, 31% “most of the time” and 15% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Garden City Retirement Home were asked whether they feel safe, 85% answered “always” and 15% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 62% answered “always” and 38% “most of the time”.
How does Garden City Retirement Home spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Garden City Retirement Home spent $216.82 per resident per day on care and nursing, 18% below the sector median of $264.85. Spending across all categories was $393.86 per resident per day. These amounts are the home’s costs, not the fees a resident pays.
Where does the rest of the spending go?
Spending on other categories included cleaning and laundry ($50.48), accommodation and maintenance ($46.63) and administration ($9.08) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($119.75) and registered nurses ($58.20).
What is the food like at Garden City Retirement Home?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 85% of residents surveyed at Garden City Retirement Home said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 14.8 percentage points above the average of 70.2% across other homes. The share fell from 100% in 2024. Another 15% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at Garden City Retirement Home in January to March 2026 was $16 per resident per day, in line with the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.80 per resident per day, 186% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Garden City Retirement Home 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”.
85% 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 Garden City Retirement Home provide?
Garden City Retirement Home reported 219 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 3 minutes below its target of 222 minutes. Of those minutes, 51 came from registered nurses, 7 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 44.
Garden City Retirement Home met both its total and registered-nurse targets in none of the last four quarters. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 207 to 221.
Who provides that care?
Per resident per day, personal care workers provided 169 minutes, followed by registered nurses (51 minutes). Garden City Retirement Home also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
