Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Regis Alawarra Lodge is 3.45 out of 5, compared with a national average of 3.81. Two findings stand out as positive, and three are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Residents report stronger support for independence
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 87.1% across other homes.
Staff communication is a relative strength
89% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 80.2% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Food spending and enjoyment both fall below their benchmarks
$13 a day vs a $16 sector median; 50% enjoy meals vs 67.4% across other homes.
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 218 vs 217 minutes; registered nurses: 42 vs 44 minutes per resident per day.
Quality measures rating trails the national average
2 out of 5, compared with 3.07 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
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 | 3.07 | 2456 |
| Respectful treatment | 95.37% | 1080 |
| Feeling safe | 96.25% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.09% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.09% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.14% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.25% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.35% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.22% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.42% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.70% | 1080 |
What is the food like at Regis Alawarra Lodge?
In the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey, 50% of residents surveyed at Regis Alawarra Lodge said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 17.4 percentage points below the average of 67.4% across other homes. The share rose from 43% in 2025. Another 50% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at Regis Alawarra Lodge in January to March 2026 was $13 per resident per day, 19% below the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.16 per resident per day, 43% below the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Regis Alawarra Lodge reports that breakfast, lunch and dinner are all cooked fresh. Of all meals, 90% are prepared on site and the rest off 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
What do residents say about Regis Alawarra Lodge?
Asked in the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey whether staff treat them with respect, 83% of residents surveyed at Regis Alawarra Lodge answered “always” or “most of the time”, below the 95.4% average across other homes by 12.4 percentage points. Answers were also below the average for other homes when residents were asked whether they feel safe (89% against 96.3%) and whether staff follow up when they raise things (78% against 84.2%).
The largest gap above other homes was when residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves: 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 87.1%. In all, answers on 2 of the 10 questions other than food were at least 3 percentage points above the average for other homes.
What should you ask about on a visit?
On a visit, you can ask about how staff are expected to treat residents. Of residents asked whether staff treat them with respect, 50% answered “always”, 33% “most of the time” and 17% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at Regis Alawarra Lodge were asked whether they get the care they need, 61% answered “always” and 33% “most of the time”.
How does Regis Alawarra Lodge spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Regis Alawarra Lodge spent $394.22 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 69.7% of it. Care and nursing spending of $274.73 was 4% above 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 administration ($55.30), cleaning and laundry ($25.24), and accommodation and maintenance ($19.63) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($171.88) and registered nurses ($60.08).
How much care and nursing does Regis Alawarra Lodge provide?
Regis Alawarra Lodge reported 218 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 1 minute above its target of 217 minutes. Registered nurses provided 42 of those minutes, 2 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 44.
Regis Alawarra Lodge met both its total and registered-nurse targets in one of the last four quarters. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 218 to 224.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 168 of the 218 minutes (77.1%), followed by registered nurses (42 minutes, 19.3%) and enrolled nurses (8 minutes, 3.7%). In the same quarter, Regis Alawarra Lodge also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
