Britons urged to talk about death
Source: Agencies |
March 16, 2010, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
BRITONS are so reluctant to talk about death that they often fail to tell their families what they want to happen to them when they die, a survey has found.
Sixty percent of people have not written a will, including a quarter of over-65s.
Of those who have made a will, 81 percent have not written down any preferences for their own death, such as whether they want to be buried or cremated and whether they want their organs to be donated.
The study was carried out by the Dying Matters Coalition, and published yesterday to mark the start of an awareness week encouraging people to talk about death with relatives and friends before it is too late.
"It is important to start the conversation early, when people are well, so they are not caught unawares, as dying and death is much harder to talk about when someone is ill," said the coalition's chairman, Mayur Lakhani. "If we don't talk about what we want, it will directly impact on our experience at end of life."
The coalition was launched by the National Council for Palliative Care, a national program commissioned by the Department of Health, as part of an End of Life Care Strategy published last year.
"Without communication and understanding, dying can be a lonely and stressful experience," said Eve Richardson, Chief Executive of the National Council for Palliative Care and Dying Matters.
The survey of 3,530 adults also found that although 70 percent of people would prefer to die at home, 60 percent died in hospital.
Sixty percent of people have not written a will, including a quarter of over-65s.
Of those who have made a will, 81 percent have not written down any preferences for their own death, such as whether they want to be buried or cremated and whether they want their organs to be donated.
The study was carried out by the Dying Matters Coalition, and published yesterday to mark the start of an awareness week encouraging people to talk about death with relatives and friends before it is too late.
"It is important to start the conversation early, when people are well, so they are not caught unawares, as dying and death is much harder to talk about when someone is ill," said the coalition's chairman, Mayur Lakhani. "If we don't talk about what we want, it will directly impact on our experience at end of life."
The coalition was launched by the National Council for Palliative Care, a national program commissioned by the Department of Health, as part of an End of Life Care Strategy published last year.
"Without communication and understanding, dying can be a lonely and stressful experience," said Eve Richardson, Chief Executive of the National Council for Palliative Care and Dying Matters.
The survey of 3,530 adults also found that although 70 percent of people would prefer to die at home, 60 percent died in hospital.
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