Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Taralga Retirement Village Hostel is 4.01 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
Enjoying the food is above the survey average
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 70.2% 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.
Following up concerns is above the survey average
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 85.2% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 207 vs 208 minutes; registered nurses: 56 vs 42 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 consistently feel safe
91% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 96.5% 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 | 3.06 | 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 | 89.47% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.58% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.81% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.24% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.18% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
What is the food like at Taralga Retirement Village Hostel?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 100% of residents surveyed at Taralga Retirement Village Hostel said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 29.8 percentage points above the average of 70.2% across other homes. The share was also 100% in 2024.
Food spending at Taralga Retirement Village Hostel in January to March 2026 was $18 per resident per day, 13% above the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, Taralga Retirement Village Hostel reported no spending on dietitians, against a sector median of $0.28 per resident per day.
How are meals prepared?
Taralga Retirement Village Hostel 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”.
100% 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 Taralga Retirement Village Hostel?
Asked in the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey whether staff follow up when they raise things, 100% of residents surveyed at Taralga Retirement Village Hostel answered “always” or “most of the time”, 14.8 percentage points above the average of 85.2% across other homes. Answers were also above the average for other homes when residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (100% against 88.6%) and whether staff know what they are doing (100% against 89.5%).
The widest gap below other homes came when residents were asked whether they feel safe: 91% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 96.5%. 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?
On a visit, you can ask about what the home does when a resident says they feel unsafe. When residents were asked whether they feel safe, 83% answered “always”, 8% “most of the time” and 8% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents get the care they need?
Asked whether they get the care they need, 75% of residents surveyed at Taralga Retirement Village Hostel answered “always” and 25% “most of the time”.
How much care and nursing does Taralga Retirement Village Hostel provide?
In January to March 2026, Taralga Retirement Village Hostel reported 207 minutes of care per resident per day, 1 minute below its target of 208 minutes. Registered nurses provided 56 of those minutes, 14 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 42.
Taralga Retirement Village 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 207 to 227.
Who provides that care?
Of the 207 minutes, personal care workers provided 145 (70.0%), followed by registered nurses (56 minutes, 27.1%) and enrolled nurses (6 minutes, 2.9%). Taralga Retirement Village Hostel also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
How does Taralga Retirement Village Hostel spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Taralga Retirement Village Hostel spent $419.83 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 59.9% of it. Care and nursing spending of $251.44 was 5% 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?
Spending on other categories included administration ($46.37), accommodation and maintenance ($31.92), and cleaning and laundry ($29.22) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($146.62) and registered nurses ($63.96).
