I am 72, and also an amateur. I use both LR Classic and Photoshop. I started out many years ago using Photoshop, probably ver 3 or 4. Later on I switched to Photoshop Elements - primarily for cost reasons. When Adobe came out with the CC version coupled with LR, I switched immediately. I wanted the 16 bit color processing instead of the 8 bit. That said, I don't think your age plays a role. But your motivation might.
PSE can be simpler. But you don't have to use all of the power of PS the first time through. LR can do much if not most of what you may want to do.
I use PS primarily for its layers, where I can run some special effects like Topaz on a layer, then mask out what I don't want effected, and blend them when I want.
So - can you more easily use PS if you start with PSE? Probably.
But if you learn to use layers in PSE, you can also learn layers in PS. And you have already payed for PS. I'd first look at a number of free training videos that are available for PS, many on You Tube, before you pay for PSE.
