Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for The Alexander Aged Care Centre is 3.89 out of 5, compared with a national average of 3.81. One finding stands out as positive, and three are worth a closer look.
Things we noticed
Positive standouts
Staffing rating exceeds the national average
5 out of 5, compared with 3.18 across other rated homes in the August 2026 extract.
Worth a closer look
Food spending and enjoyment both fall below their benchmarks
$14 a day vs a $16 sector median; 43% enjoy meals vs 70.3% across other homes.
Food enjoyment fell in the latest survey
43% positive in 2025, compared with 64% in 2024: 21 percentage points lower.
Fewer residents feel they have a say in daily life
72% 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 | 95.87% | 1354 |
| Feeling safe | 96.45% | 1354 |
| How well the home is run | 89.34% | 1354 |
| Getting needed care | 94.47% | 1354 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.48% | 1354 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 88.60% | 1354 |
| Staff explaining things | 81.82% | 1354 |
| Enjoying the food | 70.28% | 1354 |
| Following up concerns | 85.21% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.21% | 1354 |
What do residents say about The Alexander Aged Care Centre?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 72% of residents surveyed at The Alexander Aged Care Centre answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether they have a say in their daily activities, below the 93.2% average across other homes by 21.2 percentage points. When residents were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things (65% against 85.2%) and whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (72% against 88.6%), answers were also below the average for other homes.
On 8 of the 10 questions other than food, answers at The Alexander Aged Care Centre were at least 3 percentage points below the average for other homes, and on the rest they were within 3 percentage points.
What should you ask about on a visit?
On a visit, you can ask about how residents have a say in daily activities. When residents were asked whether they have a say in their daily activities, 29% answered “always”, 43% “most of the time”, 14% “some of the time” and 14% “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
When residents surveyed at The Alexander Aged Care Centre were asked whether they feel safe, 71% answered “always” and 21% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 71% answered “always” and 21% “most of the time”.
What is the food like at The Alexander Aged Care Centre?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 43% of residents surveyed at The Alexander Aged Care Centre said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 27.3 percentage points below the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share fell from 64% in 2024. Another 50% answered “some of the time” and 7% “never”.
Food spending at The Alexander Aged Care Centre in January to March 2026 was $14 per resident per day, 13% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.28 per resident per day, in line with the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
The Alexander Aged Care Centre 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”.
43% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How much care and nursing does The Alexander Aged Care Centre provide?
In January to March 2026, The Alexander Aged Care Centre reported 231 minutes of care per resident per day, 16 minutes above its target of 215 minutes. Registered nurses provided 52 of those minutes, 8 minutes above the registered-nurse target of 44.
The Alexander Aged Care Centre met both its total and registered-nurse targets in two of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 205 to 231 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Of the 231 minutes, personal care workers provided 166 (71.9%), followed by registered nurses (52 minutes, 22.5%) and enrolled nurses (13 minutes, 5.6%). In the same quarter, The Alexander Aged Care Centre also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
How does The Alexander Aged Care Centre spend on resident care?
Spending on care and nursing at The Alexander Aged Care Centre in the 2024–25 financial year was $236.90 per resident per day, 11% below the sector median of $264.85. Spending across all categories was $411.89 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 ($57.72), accommodation and maintenance ($50.06), and cleaning and laundry ($41.55) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($128.78) and registered nurses ($54.58).
