Grief has no age limit or expiration date.

A new support group at Chilton Medical Center aims to bring together the bereaved in hope that they might draw support from each other’s experiences.

The group is a joint effort between CMC and Comfort Care Hospice of Pelham and is a free service to the community.

The first meeting is planned for Thursday, July 8 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. in the glass room next to Dr. Patel’s Office at Chilton Medical Center. Meetings will continue on the second Thursday of each month and will include refreshments.

“It’s open to anybody who has experienced grief, and there’s no time limit,” said Mylesa Weatherford, bereavement coordinator with Comfort Care Hospice. “It’s for anybody and everyone; all age groups.”

Weatherford helps coordinate similar group sessions at the hospice office in Pelham and at the Jefferson County Office of Senior Citizens. She said the meetings have had favorable participation thus far.

“The first one went very, very well,” she said. “I think it’s just a good opportunity for folks to come together and share the grief road.”

Weatherford said that for many people, the most difficult part of grief is the unexpectedness and unpredictability that often comes with a loved one’s death. For some, it may take years for life to seem normal again. But the group is open to everyone, whether their loss has occurred recently or decades ago.

“There’s no timetable. There are really no rules for grieving,” she said. “All of us at one time or another experience loss, and it’s just comforting to have someone sit across the table and say, ‘I know what you’re going through.'”

For more information, call (205) 663-6887 or the toll free number, 1-877-231-0321.