Background Individualised music listening has been shown to reduce agitation and improve mood in people with dementia. However, there is a paucity of research describing the cost of implementing such interventions in residential care settings for older people.

Aim To determine the cost of implementing an individualised music intervention for older people with dementia in residential aged care in Australia.

Method A simple cost analysis was undertaken to determine the cost of delivering the individualised music intervention to 32 older people with dementia at two residential aged care facilities in New South Wales. The analysis took into consideration the operating, training and delivery costs, as well as the costs of purchasing the music equipment and downloads.

Results The cost of delivering the individualised music intervention was found to be AU$6,623.76 per year – or AU$3.98 per resident per week, at 2017 values. At 2022 values, this equates to an annual cost of AU$7,130.07 (£4,031.85) for 32 residents and a weekly cost of AU$4.28 (£2.42) per resident per week.

Conclusion The cost of implementing the individualised music intervention was relatively low compared with the overall cost of residential aged care for older people with dementia.