Elderberry Expert Rating and Opinion
The Elderberry Index for Yallaroo is 3.71 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
85% enjoy meals vs 67.3% 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 95.4% and 95.4% across other homes.
Food enjoyment improved in the latest survey
85% positive in 2026, compared with 69% in 2025: 16 percentage points higher.
Worth a closer look
Reported care time falls short of a staffing target
Total care: 220 vs 225 minutes; registered nurses: 45 vs 45 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.
How well the home is run is below the survey average
84% answered “Always” or “Most of the time”, compared with 88.1% 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 | 95.35% | 1080 |
| Feeling safe | 96.24% | 1080 |
| How well the home is run | 88.08% | 1080 |
| Getting needed care | 94.42% | 1080 |
| Confidence in staff skills | 89.08% | 1080 |
| Encouragement to stay independent | 87.14% | 1079 |
| Staff explaining things | 80.25% | 1078 |
| Enjoying the food | 67.32% | 1080 |
| Following up concerns | 84.20% | 1079 |
| Kind and caring staff | 95.41% | 1080 |
| Having a say in daily life | 92.70% | 1080 |
What do residents say about Yallaroo?
When residents surveyed at Yallaroo for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether staff follow up when they raise things, 100% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 15.8 percentage points above the average of 84.2% 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 87.1%) and whether staff know what they are doing (100% against 89.1%).
The widest gap below other homes came when residents were asked whether the home is well run: 84% answered “always” or “most of the time”, against an average of 88.1%.
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, 46% answered “always”, 38% “most of the time” and 15% “some of the time”; none answered “never”.
Do residents feel safe and get the care they need?
Asked whether they feel safe, 100% of residents surveyed at Yallaroo answered “always”. When asked whether they get the care they need, 69% answered “always” and 31% “most of the time”.
How much care and nursing does Yallaroo provide?
Yallaroo reported 220 minutes of care per resident per day in January to March 2026, 5 minutes below its target of 225 minutes. Registered nurses provided 45 of those minutes, matching the registered-nurse target of 45.
Yallaroo met both its total and registered-nurse targets in none of the last four quarters. Minutes of care per resident per day ranged from 210 to 220 across those four quarters.
Who provides that care?
Of the 220 minutes, personal care workers provided 165 (75.0%), followed by registered nurses (45 minutes, 20.5%) and enrolled nurses (10 minutes, 4.5%). Yallaroo also reported spending on physiotherapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists, dietitians, and lifestyle and recreation workers in the same quarter.
What is the food like at Yallaroo?
When residents surveyed at Yallaroo for the 2026 Residents’ Experience Survey were asked whether they like the food, 85% answered “always” or “most of the time”, 17.7 percentage points above the average of 67.3% across other homes. The share rose from 69% in 2025. Another 15% answered “some of the time”, and none answered “never”.
In January to March 2026, Yallaroo spent $13 per resident per day on food, 19% below the sector median of $16. In the same quarter, spending on dietitians was $0.35 per resident per day, 25% above the sector median of $0.28.
How are meals prepared?
According to Yallaroo, 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”.
85% of surveyed residents
Spending & preparation
Daily spending on food and dietitian services, and how meals are prepared.
Sources and Explanation
How does Yallaroo spend on resident care?
In the 2024–25 financial year, Yallaroo spent $422.30 per resident per day, and care and nursing made up 65.7% of it. Care and nursing spending of $277.27 was 5% above the sector median of $264.85. These amounts are the home’s costs, not the fees a resident pays.
Where does the rest of the spending go?
Other categories included administration ($40.51), cleaning and laundry ($29.45), and accommodation and maintenance ($20.14) per resident per day. Within care and nursing, the largest amounts per resident per day went to personal care workers and assistants in nursing ($153.41) and registered nurses ($69.15).
