abstract: To the editor, I write in response to the article featured in the July issue (Nursing Older People 2008, 20, 6) 'Let's talk about death'. The authors of this report make sweeping statements about the practices and competence of staff in care homes. The sample they used in their survey is hardly representative of the population under scrutiny, there are approximately 28,000 care homes in the UK; they surveyed 212, representing less than 1 per cent, which cannot be claimed to give a reliable representation on the facts. Furthermore, telephone interviews with 15 managers is merely a drop in the ocean.
authors.affiliation: Eshcol House Nursing Home, Cornwall.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Stobbart-Rowlands