Age Concern is appalled at the case of an Auckland retirement village worker who stole from the people she was meant to be caring for.

51-year-old Denise Neal was caught snooping around, opening bags and checking people's diaries at the Poynton Retirement Village in Takapuna.

She was snapped after hidden-cameras were installed in flats after more than $4000 went missing.The covert cameras also caught her putting on blue plastic gloves while she went through rooms.

Age Concern chief executive Robyn Scott said it's important that people who work with vulnerable older people are properly vetted and trained. In this case, she said the retirement village had taken all the necessary steps.

"It's always disappointing when people take advantage of other people in a fraudulent way. This person went to quite a lot of effort to steal from people who trusted her."

Neal has been sentenced to home detention and ordered to have therapy for a gambling problem.