As I recall, there are some studies that show that a daily baby aspirin can be helpful for general heart health. I you were taking an adult aspirin, that may have been the issue.
Random example: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10381905/ - Even 10mg/day causes gastric injury/toxicity by removing the nice slime layer in your gut.
Also, once you get specific about which CVD metrics you're trying to optimize, you'll find vastly superior interventions to try.
I think it's safe to say if it's recommended for cancerous old folks, it's safe to take for average people.
It's just a matter of dosage.
I'm not sure why you would think that. There are many things we are willing to prescribe to older people because they are unlikely to suffer long-term negative effects.