Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Joseph Cooke House is 4.23 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 95.4% and 95.4% across other homes.
Quality measures rating exceeds the national average
5 out of 5, compared with 3.06 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Residents’ experience rating exceeds the national average
4 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 223 vs 218 minutes; registered nurses: 42 vs 43 minutes per resident per day.
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
61% positive in 2026, compared with 77% in 2025: 16 percentage points lower.
Support for independence is below the survey average
69% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 87.2% 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: 2026 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 2026 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 | 3.06 | 2456 |
| Respectful treatment | 95.35% | 1080 |
| Feeling safe | 96.24% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.08% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.08% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.17% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.25% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.34% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.21% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.41% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.70% | 1080 |
What do residents say about Joseph Cooke House?
Asked in the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey whether staff know what they are doing, 100% of residents surveyed at Joseph Cooke House answered “always” or “most of the time”, 10.9 percentage points above the average of 89.1% across other homes. When residents were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things (92% against 84.2%) and whether they have a say in their daily activities (100% against 92.7%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
The widest gap below other homes came when residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves: 69% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 87.2%. 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 staff support residents to do things for themselves. Of residents asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, 69% answered “always” and 31% “some of the time”; none answered “most of the time” or “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 77% of residents surveyed at Joseph Cooke House answered “always” and 23% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 69% answered “always” and 31% “most of the time”.
How much care and nursing does Joseph Cooke House provide?
Joseph Cooke House reported 223 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 5 minutes above its target of 218 minutes. Registered nurses provided 42 of those minutes, 1 minute below the registered-nurse target of 43.
In two of the last four quarters, Joseph Cooke House met both its total and registered-nurse targets. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 216 to 223.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 171 minutes per resident per day, followed by registered nurses (42 minutes) and enrolled nurses (11 minutes). In the same quarter, Joseph Cooke House also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What is the food like at Joseph Cooke House?
When residents surveyed at Joseph Cooke House for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 61% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 6.3 percentage points below the average of 67.3% across other homes. The share fell from 77% in 2025. Another 31% answered “some of the time” and 8% “never”.
In January to March 2026, Joseph Cooke House spent $17 per resident per day on food, 6% above the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.32 per resident per day, 14% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Joseph Cooke House 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”.
61% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Joseph Cooke House spend on resident care?
Total spending at Joseph Cooke House in the 2024–25 financial year was $429.79 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 62.9% of it. Care and nursing spending of $270.41 was 2% 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?
Other categories included administration ($87.25), cleaning and laundry ($22.12), and accommodation and maintenance ($15.52) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($130.46) and other care consumables ($67.99).
