Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Orange Grove Care Community is 3.71 out of 5, compared with a national average of 3.81. Three findings stand out as positive, and three are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Food enjoyment is above average, with lower reported spending
79% enjoy meals vs 70.3% across other homes; spending is $12 vs a $16 sector median.
Food enjoyment improved in the latest survey
79% positive in 2025, compared with 67% in 2024: 12 percentage points higher.
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: 199 vs 212 minutes; registered nurses: 39 vs 43 minutes per resident per day.
Staffing rating trails the national average
2 out of 5, compared with 3.18 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Fewer residents feel they have a say in daily life
79% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 93.2% 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: 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 | 85.20% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.20% | 1354 |
How much care and nursing does Orange Grove Care Community provide?
Orange Grove Care Community reported 199 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 13 minutes below its target of 212 minutes. Registered nurses provided 39 of those minutes, 4 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 43.
In none of the last four quarters did Orange Grove Care Community meet both its total and registered-nurse targets. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 198 to 203.
Who provides that care?
Of the 199 minutes, personal care workers provided 154 (77.4%), followed by registered nurses (39 minutes, 19.6%) and enrolled nurses (6 minutes, 3.0%). Orange Grove Care Community also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
What do residents say about Orange Grove Care Community?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 100% of residents surveyed at Orange Grove Care Community answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, above the 88.6% average across other homes by 11.4 percentage points. When residents were asked whether the home is well run (100% against 89.3%) and whether staff explain things to them (90% 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: 79% 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, 47% answered “always”, 32% “most of the time” and 21% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 79% of residents surveyed at Orange Grove Care Community answered “always” and 16% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 84% answered “always” and 16% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at Orange Grove Care Community?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 79% of residents surveyed at Orange Grove Care Community said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 8.7 percentage points above the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share rose from 67% in 2024. Another 21% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
In January to March 2026, Orange Grove Care Community spent $12 per resident per day on food, 25% below the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.36 per resident per day, 29% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Orange Grove Care Community 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”.
79% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Orange Grove Care Community spend on resident care?
Total spending at Orange Grove Care Community in the 2024–25 financial year was $419.69 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 61.7% of it. Care and nursing spending of $258.80 was 2% below the sector median of $264.85. These figures are the home’s costs, not the fees a resident pays.
Where does the rest of the spending go?
Other categories included accommodation and maintenance ($60.01), cleaning and laundry ($30.12) and administration ($28.20) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($152.11) and registered nurses ($60.83).
