Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Jacaranda House Hostel is 4.37 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.
Staffing rating exceeds the national average
5 out of 5, compared with 3.18 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Food enjoyment improved in the latest survey
66% positive in 2025, compared with 46% in 2024: 20 percentage points higher.
Worth a closer look
Following up concerns is below the survey average
66% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 85.2% across other homes.
Getting needed care is below the survey average
84% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 94.5% across other homes.
Confidence in staff skills is below the survey average
83% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 89.5% 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 | 94.48% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.48% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.59% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.81% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.26% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.21% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
How much care and nursing does Jacaranda House Hostel provide?
In January to March 2026, Jacaranda House Hostel reported 246 minutes of care per resident per day, 41 minutes above its target of 205 minutes. Registered nurses provided 59 of those minutes, 17 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 42.
Jacaranda House Hostel met both its total and registered-nurse targets in three of the last four quarters. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 205 to 246.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 124 minutes per resident per day, followed by enrolled nurses (64 minutes) and registered nurses (59 minutes). In the same quarter, Jacaranda House Hostel also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What do residents say about Jacaranda House Hostel?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 92% of residents surveyed at Jacaranda House Hostel answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether staff explain things to them, 10.2 percentage points above the average of 81.8% across other homes. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether staff treat them with respect (100% against 95.9%) and whether staff are kind and caring (100% against 96.0%).
The widest gap below other homes came when residents were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things: 66% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 85.2%. Altogether, answers on 3 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. When residents were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things, 58% answered “always”, 8% “most of the time”, 25% “some of the time” and 8% “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 83% of residents surveyed at Jacaranda House Hostel answered “always” and 17% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 42% answered “always” and 42% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Jacaranda House Hostel?
When residents surveyed at Jacaranda House Hostel for the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 66% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 4.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share rose from 46% in 2024. Another 25% answered “some of the time” and 8% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Jacaranda House Hostel spent $19 per resident per day on food, 19% above the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.03 per resident per day, 89% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Jacaranda House Hostel reports that breakfast is cooked fresh, while lunch and dinner are prepared by the cook-chill method. Of all meals, 14% are prepared on site and the rest off site.
Do residents enjoy the food?
Residents who answered “Always” or “Most of the time”.
66% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Jacaranda House Hostel spend on resident care?
Total spending at Jacaranda House Hostel in the 2024–25 financial year was $569.82 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 49.4% of it. Care and nursing spending of $281.64 was 6% above the sector median of $264.85. 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 administration ($114.01), accommodation and maintenance ($83.55), and cleaning and laundry ($19.88) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($105.04) and registered nurses ($65.98).
