Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Ozcare Parkwood Gardens is 3.71 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.
Food enjoyment improved in the latest survey
84% positive in 2025, compared with 54% in 2024: 30 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: 211 vs 215 minutes; registered nurses: 50 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.
Following up concerns is below the survey average
80% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 85.2% 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 | 89.33% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.47% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.48% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.59% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.81% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.25% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.20% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
How much care and nursing does Ozcare Parkwood Gardens provide?
Ozcare Parkwood Gardens reported 211 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 4 minutes below its target of 215 minutes. Registered nurses provided 50 of those minutes, 7 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 43.
In none of the last four quarters did Ozcare Parkwood Gardens meet both its total and registered-nurse targets. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 202 to 211 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 161 minutes per resident per day, followed by registered nurses (50 minutes) and enrolled nurses (1 minute). In the same quarter, Ozcare Parkwood Gardens also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
What is the food like at Ozcare Parkwood Gardens?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 84% of residents surveyed at Ozcare Parkwood Gardens said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 13.7 percentage points above the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share rose from 54% in 2024. Another 4% answered “some of the time” and 12% “never”.
Food spending at Ozcare Parkwood Gardens in January to March 2026 was $21 per resident per day, 31% above the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.27 per resident per day, 4% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Ozcare Parkwood Gardens 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”.
84% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
What do residents say about Ozcare Parkwood Gardens?
Asked in the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves, 96% of residents surveyed at Ozcare Parkwood Gardens answered “always” or “most of the time”, 7.4 percentage points above the average of 88.6% 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: 80% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 85.2%.
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, 64% answered “always”, 16% “most of the time”, 16% “some of the time” and 4% “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 88% of residents surveyed at Ozcare Parkwood Gardens answered “always” and 8% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 88% answered “always” and 8% “most of the time”.
How does Ozcare Parkwood Gardens spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Ozcare Parkwood Gardens spent $374.94 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 66.7% of it. Care and nursing spending of $250.05 was 6% below 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 ($34.69), cleaning and laundry ($29.10), and accommodation and maintenance ($26.64) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($147.94) and registered nurses ($69.57).
