A heavily pregnant solo mother of six's dream of becoming a nurse has likely been shattered after she stole from two vulnerable people in her care.

Beneficiary Alaina Leonie Bishop, 28, took a gold ring and $8900 from an 81-year-old she provided in-home care for and a further $1580 from a man paralysed from the chest down.

Bishop was sentenced in Palmerston North District Court yesterday to nine months' home detention by Judge Les Atkins and ordered to pay outstanding reparation of $6499.

"Stealing from the aged and infirm is cowardly, dishonest and frankly it's wicked," Judge Atkins said. "You must consider yourself lucky to avoid a sentence of imprisonment."

Defence lawyer Carly Linton said Bishop had been accepted into a UCOL nursing degree but her prosecution would impact on her employment prospects. She was working for an aged care support service when sent to an 81-year-old woman's home on January 4 and 11, when the woman's normal care worker was away.

Judge Atkins said Bishop searched the woman's bedroom and found a gold ring worth between $800 and $1000. On January 26, she pawned the ring for just $20. She also found the woman's phone banking account details and took a copy of her signature.

She created an online banking account for the woman and transferred $8900 into her own account. On January 15, when Bishop went into a Westpac branch, she was told her account was frozen because of concerns about the transfers.

In March, Bishop was caring for a man disabled from the chest down when she was given his eftpos card to buy him a Lotto ticket. She withdrew $1580 in four separate withdrawals.

Judge Atkins said home detention was appropriate, given Bishop was expecting another child.

She was convicted of four charges of obtaining by deception, one of accessing a computer system for dishonest purposes and one of theft.

Bishop was also convicted of possessing cannabis.