Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Villa Maria Catholic Homes Providence Aged Care Residence is 3.78 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
Food enjoyment is above average, with lower reported spending
80% enjoy meals vs 70.3% across other homes; spending is $13 vs a $16 sector median.
Residents consistently describe respectful, caring staff
100% positive on respect and 100% on caring staff, versus 95.9% and 96.0% across other homes.
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: 204 vs 201 minutes; registered nurses: 38 vs 42 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.
How well the home is run is below the survey average
80% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 89.3% 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: 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 | 85.19% | 1354 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.96% | 1354 |
| Having a say in daily life | 93.19% | 1354 |
What is the food like at Villa Maria Catholic Homes Providence Aged Care Residence?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 80% of residents surveyed at Villa Maria Catholic Homes Providence Aged Care Residence said they like the food “always” or “most of the time”, 9.7 percentage points above the average of 70.3% across other homes. The share rose from 74% in 2024. Another 20% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
Food spending at Villa Maria Catholic Homes Providence Aged Care Residence in January to March 2026 was $13 per resident per day, 19% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.40 per resident per day, 43% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
Villa Maria Catholic Homes Providence Aged Care Residence 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”.
80% 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 Villa Maria Catholic Homes Providence Aged Care Residence?
In the 2025 Residents’ Experience Survey, 100% of residents surveyed at Villa Maria Catholic Homes Providence Aged Care Residence answered “always” or “most of the time” when asked whether they have a say in their daily activities, above the 93.2% average across other homes by 6.8 percentage points. When residents were asked whether they are encouraged to do as much as possible for themselves (95% against 88.6%) and whether staff follow up when they raise things (90% against 85.2%), answers were also above the average for other homes.
The widest gap below other homes came when residents were asked whether the home is well run: 80% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 89.3%. In all, answers on 2 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?
A visit is a chance to ask about who runs the home day to day and how changes are communicated. When residents were asked whether the home is well run, 55% answered “always”, 25% “most of the time” and 20% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 70% of residents surveyed at Villa Maria Catholic Homes Providence Aged Care Residence answered “always” and 25% “most of the time”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 70% answered “always” and 25% “most of the time”.
How much care and nursing does Villa Maria Catholic Homes Providence Aged Care Residence provide?
In January to March 2026, Villa Maria Catholic Homes Providence Aged Care Residence reported 204 minutes of care per resident per day, 3 minutes above its target of 201 minutes. Registered nurses provided 38 of those minutes, 4 minutes below the registered-nurse target of 42.
In two of the last four quarters, Villa Maria Catholic Homes Providence Aged Care Residence met both its total and registered-nurse targets. Across those four quarters, minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 201 to 207.
Who provides that care?
Personal care workers provided 158 minutes per resident per day, followed by registered nurses (38 minutes) and enrolled nurses (7 minutes). In the same quarter, Villa Maria Catholic Homes Providence Aged Care Residence also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers.
How does Villa Maria Catholic Homes Providence Aged Care Residence spend on resident care?
Total spending at Villa Maria Catholic Homes Providence Aged Care Residence in the 2024–25 financial year was $400.80 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 65.6% of it. Care and nursing spending of $262.86 was 1% 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 ($38.67), accommodation and maintenance ($34.43), and cleaning and laundry ($21.90) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($160.45) and registered nurses ($68.19).
