Britons shy away from talking about death

LONDON, March 15 (Reuters) - Britons are so reluctant to talk about death that they often fail to tell their familes 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.

And of those who have made a will, a high 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 on Monday to mark the start of an awareness week to encourage 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 Chairman of Dying Matters, Mayur Lakhani.

"If we don't talk about what we want, it will directly impact on our experience at end of life," he added in a statement.

The Dying Matters Coalition was launched by the National Council for Palliative Care, a national programme commissioned by the Department of Health, as part of an End of Life Care Strategy published in July 2008.

"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, which questioned 3,530 adults, also found that although 70 percent of people would prefer to die at home, 60 percent die in hospitals.

"Death tends to be a taboo subject, but talking about it can make sure our loved ones know our dying wishes," said Phil Hope, Care Services Minister.

(Reporting by Valle Aviles Pinedo; Editing by Steve Addison)