Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Grand Cedar is 3.38 out of 5, compared with a national average of 3.81. Two findings stand out as positive, and three are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Residents report stronger support for independence
94% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 88.6% across other homes.
More residents consistently feel safe
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 96.4% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 209 vs 215 minutes; registered nurses: 40 vs 43 minutes per resident per day.
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
60% positive in 2025, compared with 79% in 2024: 19 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 | 95.87% | 1354 |
| Feeling safe | 96.45% | 1354 |
| How well the home is run | 89.33% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.48% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.49% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.59% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.82% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.27% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.19% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.97% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.21% | 1354 |
How much care and nursing does Grand Cedar provide?
Grand Cedar reported 209 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 6 minutes below its target of 215 minutes. Registered nurses provided 40 of those minutes, 3 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 43.
Grand Cedar 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 186 to 209.
Who provides that care?
Per resident per day, personal care workers provided 151 minutes, followed by registered nurses (40 minutes) and enrolled nurses (19 minutes). Grand Cedar also reported spending on physiotherapists and podiatrists in the same quarter.
What do residents say about Grand Cedar?
Asked in the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey whether they have a say in their daily activities, 73% of residents surveyed at Grand Cedar answered “always” or “most of the time”, below the 93.2% average across other homes by 20.2 percentage points. When residents were asked whether staff are kind and caring (80% against 96.0%) and whether staff explain things to them (67% against 81.8%), answers were also below the average for other homes.
The largest gap above other homes was when residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves: 94% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 88.6%. Altogether, answers on 2 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 residents have a say in daily activities. Of residents asked whether they have a say in their daily activities, 40% answered “always”, 33% “most of the time” and 27% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 60% of residents surveyed at Grand Cedar answered “always” and 40% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 33% answered “always” and 53% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Grand Cedar?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 60% of residents surveyed at Grand Cedar said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 10.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share fell from 79% in 2024. Another 40% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at Grand Cedar in January to March 2026 was $42 per resident per day, 163% above the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, Grand Cedar reported no spending on dietitians, against a sector median of $0.28 per resident per day.
How are meals prepared?
According to Grand Cedar, breakfast, lunch and dinner are all cooked fresh. Of all meals, 2% are prepared on site and the rest off site.
Do residents enjoy the food?
Residents who answered “Always” or “Most of the time”.
60% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Grand Cedar spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Grand Cedar spent $230.40 per resident per day on care and nursing, 13% below the sector median of $264.85. Spending across all categories was $403.63 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?
Spending on other categories included accommodation and maintenance ($56.79), administration ($55.68), and cleaning and laundry ($20.48) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($130.60) and registered nurses ($52.12).
