Kela

Kela is a familiar institution to me throughout my life. As a young student, I received study grant, student loan and housing allowance from Kela. When I got children, I received a maternity package, parental allowance and home care allowance. At the moment, my family only receives child benefit from Kela. 

I acquired a European health care card for both me and my children some years ago. We travel abroad quite a lot, which is why it is good to have a European health care card. It allows us to receive medically necessary treatment in any EU or EEA country, Switzerland, Great Britain on Northern Ireland if necessary. The card is free and easy to order from Kela. 

OmaKanta

I use OmaKanta several times a year. From there, I review both my own and my children’s health information, for example doctor’s records, laboratory results and prescriptions. I have also renewed prescriptions through OmaKanta. The authentication is easy and fast with your own mobile bank application. 

Keva

I logged into Keva, but I couldn’t find my own pension information there. It turned out that my pension affairs are handled by Elo, a large Finnish pension insurance company. I have received an annual letter from Elo, but I hadn’t paid much attention to the topic. Now I looked at my future pension and my estimated retirement age and mostly found myself getting irritated. The target age for retirement is over 68, which seems like a very heavy thought at the moment. There are still more than 22 years of working life left. In addition to this, I have to be able to go to work in order to increase the amount of my pension.

Digital Shops 

I compared the prices of computer backpacks in the Zalando online store and in the local store of Partioaitta. It turned out that Zalando has slightly cheaper prices, and in addition, there are often good offers there. On the other hand, in a local store it is possible to see the product, make a comparison and try the product’s suitability for yourself. In addition, it is possible to receive personal service in the store. I understand that people choose online shops because of the large selection and cheaper prices, and this is what I often do myself. However, it would also be important to support local shops. It’s sad to note that, at least in my own hometown, many small shops have had to close precisely because they couldn’t compete with big online shops. 

I have ordered from Zalando several times and the orders have gone well. I have received the correct products and there have been no problems with the products. I know that it is possible to return the products if necessary. However, I have no experience returning products to Zalando. I know that in some online stores returns are made difficult and expensive, but I understand that returns work well at Zalando. So, I have experienced Zalando as a reliable online store. 

I often use Booking.com when booking accommodation. Mainly I have booked domestic accommodation, but sometimes I have also booked accommodation from abroad. In my case, Booking.com has been reliable, but I have also heard different experiences. I have heard that the reserved accommodation did not exist, and the host has not been contacted after payment. After hearing about these experiences, I have become cautious. I make sure that the accommodation I choose is real and I don’t like to pay money in advance. 

The Digital Health and Social Center

I got to know the digital social and health center in my area. Through it, you can quickly get in touch with social and health professionals and chat with a nurse or a psychiatric nurse. You do not need an appointment to use the service. Based on the conversation, the nurse assesses whether the client needs to see a doctor, nurse or physiotherapist. I haven’t used the service yet, so I can’t tell you about its functionality. At its best, the service can shorten treatment queues and speed up access to treatment. Some people also find chatting easier than, for example, talking on the phone. However, there are people who do not have sufficient technical knowledge or suitable equipment to manage their affairs in a digital social and health center. It is therefore important that digital services do not completely replace face-to-face meetings. 

Digital Gap

I wrote above about the digital gap from one perspective. There are people who do not have enough know-how or suitable equipment to meet the demands of accelerating digitization. Social and health services have customers who need personal service. If a person does not have the skills or resources to seek help through digital services, it is possible that they will be completely without help. While the majority of people certainly like and benefit from using digital services, it is important to remember that this does not apply to everyone. That is why it is important that personal service is still available. 

The Digital Competence Test

I did the Digital Competence Test. The test result shows that my strengths are issues related to communication and information. I also manage things related to digital security quite well. Instead, technical things are the hardest for me. I think the test result corresponds quite well to the real situation. 

Self evaluation

These tasks have taught me to understand how important digital technology is in today’s world. Today, almost everything can be done digitally, and at the same time, the number of personal meetings is decreasing. Digitality makes things easier and faster, but we must not forget those who for some reason cannot use digital services. It is important to continue to offer personal services alongside digital services. 

I think I’m quite good at using digitality in both my personal life and my work. I like to handle things digitally, and I don’t often miss personal contact. On the other hand, in problem situations, I like that I get personal service if needed. However, I find myself getting a little annoyed by the fact that nowadays I have to create a user account and credentials everywhere in order to use the service. 

I have really enjoyed taking this course and doing the assignments. It has been nice to read and comment on other people’s thoughts on the subject. While I’ve been doing assignments and getting to know other students’ blogs, I’ve noticed myself getting new thoughts and perspectives on the subject. 

I left a comment on following blogs: https://blogi.savonia.fi/hannabjorklof/digi-citizen/ https://blogi.savonia.fi/annikaluokkanen/ https://miha110.wordpress.com/