Campaigners call for an end to death talk taboo

Research by the charity showed just 6 per cent of dementia sufferers died at home in 2010, in comparison to 21 per cent of the population in general.

"People with the condition deserve to die with dignity, without pain, and in the place of their choosing as much as anyone else," said Alzheimer's Society chief executive Jeremy Hughes.

And the Alzheimers Society said more people would be denied the right to die at home unless society addresses its "unwillingness" to discuss the subject.

Two-thirds of people the society asked said they wanted to die at home.

But Socialist Health Association director Martin Rathfelder said many older people are admitted to hospital as a default measure and never get back home.

"The less able you are to articulate your own desires the more likely people are to take you to a hospital because they think that is a safe place."

He added that better communication between hospitals and GPs was crucial in allowing people to die in their homes and keeping them out of hospitals.

And money is no issue to dying with dignity, said Marie Curie Cancer Care chief executive Dr Jane Collins.

"Research shows that people with dementia could be treated more appropriately and cost effectively at home or in a familiar place of care, rather than unfamiliar hospital surroundings," she said.