Terminally ill patients can often predict when they are going to die, and have been known to say they’ve had a glimpse of heaven while on their death beds, according to nurses who care for them. Macmillan palliative care nurses at Royal Stoke University Hospital, who see patients die on a routine basis, have opened up about what patients tend to do and say in the hours, days and weeks before they pass. Many have basic dying wishes such as seeing their dogs, or having a glass of their favourite drink or a cup of tea...

An elderly couple died holding hands surrounded by loved ones in a rare double euthanasia. Nic and Trees Elderhorst, both 91, died in their hometown of Didam, in the Netherlands, after 65 years of marriage. The couple both suffered from deteriorating physical health over the past five years, with Mr Elderhorst left with reduced mobility after a stroke in 2012.

Death is never easy. But Oliver Sacks shows us an approach that views life as a welcome gift rather than bemoaning death as a medical failure. By Ranjana Srivastava.