People in their sixties often tell me the same thing: I always meant to learn, and there was never time. Now there is. And retirement turns out to be one of the best moments in life to begin, for a simple reason: nobody else is setting your goals any more.
Set up the room before you set up the routine
The light. Good, even light on the music stand makes more difference than people expect. Reading with tired eyes in a dim room is where many adult beginners quietly give up.
The bench. Your forearms should be roughly level with the keys, and you should sit far enough back that your elbows can move freely. A bench that is too low makes the shoulders work and the hands tire quickly.
The music. Choose editions with larger notation. There is no virtue in squinting.
A daily shape
Thirty minutes, at the same time each day, works better than an hour whenever you remember. Morning suits many people. Warm up gently with something easy, give the middle of the session to one new small thing, and end with a piece you enjoy. If you have any joint pain, ask your doctor before you increase your practice time; I am a pianist, not a physician.
Memory works differently, not worse
You may find that what you learned yesterday needs a short review today. That is normal. Begin each session by playing yesterday's new passage once, slowly, before you add anything. Over a few weeks, the review becomes shorter on its own.
What a first year can look like
By the end of a year of steady practice, most adults play simple pieces with both hands, read straightforward music, and have one or two pieces they can play for someone else. For many people in their sixties that piece is Moon River, Yesterday, The Rose or Für Elise. The page for adults in their 60s lists the music people your age most want to play.
And there is a particular pleasure waiting at the end of that first year: sitting down at the piano at a family gathering, and playing.
For the songs, the obstacles and a plan for your first three months, see piano lessons for adults in their 60s.