Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Terrace Gardens is 3.89 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
Care and registered-nurse targets met in four reported quarters
The latest quarter records 262 minutes against a 224-minute daily care target; RN time is 53 against 45.
Staffing rating exceeds the national average
5 out of 5, compared with 3.18 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Getting needed care is above the survey average
100% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 94.4% across other homes.
Worth a closer look
Quality measures rating trails the national average
2 out of 5, compared with 3.07 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Residents’ experience rating trails the national average
3 out of 5, compared with 3.62 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Enjoying the food is below the survey average
55% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 67.3% 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 | 3.07 | 2456 |
| Respectful treatment | 95.36% | 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 | 87.15% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.26% | 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 |
How much care and nursing does Terrace Gardens provide?
Terrace Gardens reported 262 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 38 minutes above its target of 224 minutes. Of those minutes, 53 came from registered nurses, 8 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 45.
Terrace Gardens met both its total and registered-nurse targets in each of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 262 to 285 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 200 of the 262 minutes (76.3%), followed by registered nurses (53 minutes, 20.2%) and enrolled nurses (9 minutes, 3.4%). In the same quarter, Terrace Gardens also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
How does Terrace Gardens spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Terrace Gardens spent $388.07 per resident per day on care and nursing, 47% above the sector median of $264.85. Total spending was $651.57 per resident per day. 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 ($82.76), accommodation and maintenance ($62.39), and cleaning and laundry ($33.23) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($224.01) and registered nurses ($83.64).
What is the food like at Terrace Gardens?
When residents surveyed at Terrace Gardens for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 55% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 12.3 percentage points below the average of 67.3% across other homes. The share rose from 53% in 2025. Another 28% answered “some of the time” and 17% “never”.
Food spending at Terrace Gardens in January to March 2026 was $20 per resident per day, 25% above the sector median of $16. Spending on dietitians in the same quarter was $0.68 per resident per day, 143% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Terrace 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”.
55% 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 Terrace Gardens?
Asked in the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey whether the home is well run, 78% of residents surveyed at Terrace Gardens answered “always” or “most of the time”, below the 88.1% average across other homes by 10.1 percentage points. When residents were asked whether staff explain things to them (72% against 80.3%) and whether staff treat them with respect (89% against 95.4%), answers were also below the average for other homes.
The widest gap above other homes came when residents were asked whether they get the care they need: 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 94.4%.
What should you ask about on a visit?
A visit is a chance to ask about who runs the home day to day and how changes are communicated. Of residents asked whether the home is well run, 28% answered “always”, 50% “most of the time”, 17% “some of the time” and 6% “never”.
Do residents feel safe?
Asked whether they feel safe, 78% of residents surveyed at Terrace Gardens answered “always” and 17% “most of the time”.
