Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Hahndorf Residential Care Services is 3.38 out of 5, against a national average of 3.81. Three findings are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Worth a closer look
Food spending and enjoyment both fall below their benchmarks
$14 a day vs a $16 sector median; 50% enjoy meals vs 70.3% across other homes.
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 226 vs 226 minutes; registered nurses: 40 vs 45 minutes per resident per day.
Support for independence is below the survey average
61% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 88.6% 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 | 95.87% | 1354 |
| Feeling safe | 96.45% | 1354 |
| How well the home is run | 89.34% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.48% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.48% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.61% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.81% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.28% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.20% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.97% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
What do residents say about Hahndorf Residential Care Services?
Asked in the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, 61% of residents surveyed at Hahndorf Residential Care Services answered “always” or “most of the time”, below the 88.6% average across other homes by 27.6 percentage points. When residents were asked whether staff are kind and caring (77% against 96.0%) and whether staff follow up when they raise things (72% against 85.2%), answers were also below the average for other homes.
On 7 of the 10 questions other than food, answers at Hahndorf Residential Care Services were at least 3 percentage points below the average for other homes, and on the rest they were within 3 percentage points.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about how staff support residents to do things for themselves. Of residents asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, 39% answered “always”, 22% “most of the time”, 28% “some of the time” and 11% “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Hahndorf Residential Care Services were asked whether they feel safe, 78% answered “always” and 17% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 56% answered “always” and 28% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Hahndorf Residential Care Services?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 50% of residents surveyed at Hahndorf Residential Care Services said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 20.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share fell from 71% in 2024. Another 28% answered “some of the time” and 22% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Hahndorf Residential Care Services spent $14 per resident per day on food, 13% below the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.15 per resident per day, 46% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Hahndorf Residential Care Services 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”.
50% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Hahndorf Residential Care Services spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Hahndorf Residential Care Services spent $231.22 per resident per day on care and nursing, 13% below the sector median of $264.85. Total spending was $400.74 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 administration ($56.53), accommodation and maintenance ($54.22), 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 ($130.41) and registered nurses ($47.14).
How much care and nursing does Hahndorf Residential Care Services provide?
In January to March 2026, Hahndorf Residential Care Services reported 226 minutes of care per resident per day, matching its target of 226 minutes. Of those minutes, 40 came from registered nurses, 5 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 45.
Hahndorf Residential Care Services met both its total and registered-nurse targets in none of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 220 to 229 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Per resident per day, personal care workers provided 167 minutes, followed by registered nurses (40 minutes) and enrolled nurses (18 minutes). Hahndorf Residential Care Services also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
