Hello,
I've often read that elderly, when they are close to death, become more aware of "the other side".
I just heard that my grandmother passed away after being ill for a long time. In the days before she died, she started to hallucinate, looked up at the ceiling and talked to people that (seemingly) weren't there. My grandparents are deeply religious people. She talked about seeing her mother again and seeing Jesus. The day before she died, my grandmother thanked the hospital personell and said she had prepared for the journey. She passed away quietly during the night.
Now, I haven't had any direct experience myself, but I gather from what I've read that this was a smooth transition?
Also, the part about looking up at the ceiling reminds me of when my sister was a kid, she used to excitedly point up in the air and say "Look, look!". I had no idea what she meant back then, so I just played along.