DEAR BRUCE: My mother is 83 years old and is $20,000 in debt. She raised us as a single parent and couldn’t buy property or save a lot of money. She lives solely on Social Security, and I help her out by making payments to some of her creditors. She’s afraid to have her credit affected, so I’ve been helping her out in this way. My brother thinks I am throwing away my money. He claims that at her age, there’s nothing they can do to her, and so it doesn’t make any difference now. — Reader, via email DEAR …