www.kela.fi
I have not needed Kela services for years. Through Kela, I have only paid student healthcare fee. The fee has to be paid, even if you do not use the service. I have assisted my children to apply housing allowance, study grant and student loan. So I have visited the website in those occasions. In my opinion, considering the minimal usage, the website has been easy to use. I have had European health insurance card for years because I love to travel quite much. I also have continuous travel insurance for illness.
www.kanta.fi
I logged into Omakanta using my banking credentials. In Omakanta, I have checked test results, entries from visits and operations. I have also reviewed where information of my health has been shared. I have lot of health data through occupational healthcare in Terveystalo mobile app, so need for using Omakanta has been minimal.
www.keva.fi
The calculator allowed me to calculate partial early retirement pension at the age of 63 and old-age pension at the age of 66 years and 7 months. There was a difference of 1500€ in these calculations. The amount is significant but with partial retirement, there will still be earnings from work. I did not calculate my old-age pension, if I decide to work longer than my lowest old-age retirement age. I have regularly checked my pension information, and the age for old-age pension has been increasing all the time. Currently, my retirement age would be 20 years away, how much further will it rise?
Digital shops
I use various online shopping services such as Zalando and Booking.com, and I purchase services from platforms like Uber, Foodora and Timma. Especially in travel, I have trusted Booking.com for years, although when traveling domestically, I compare prices with the destinations own websites. Often, it has been cheaper to book accommodations directly from the service providers within country. I have tried Trivago, but I have not dared to trust the site same way as I trust Booking.com. Using Booking.com has provided some benefits, such as finding cheaper accommodation deals and car rentals. When searching for services or making purchases, I always compare and use only websites/stores that seems reliable. If it is a new store or website for me, I read reviews, where any unreliability usually comes out. There are many risks in online services, and as a user, one must be cautious. Even cautious does not guarantee that you would not get scammed.
Service from my own working field
www.mielenterveystalo.fi
This is a good informative website that provides information as well as self-care programs. I have utilized materials from the website to some extent in patient work by using their provided tools, and I have been able to share the options provided by the website for informational purposes.
Digitalization and digital gap
People who do not use digital services can easily become excluded, and, for example, managing their own affairs can become difficult. Typically, services through other channels than the internet, may cost the consumer more. Managing banking matters today can be extremely challenging and costly without digital tools. Finland is also a country with long distances, and many health services are already provided digitally in these areas. Without digital tools or skills, individuals can easily become marginalized. In my own personal life, managing affairs to a relative, is extremely challenging without electronic authentication tools. With a power of attorney matters can be handled but it often requires a personal visit from me to the agencies.
https://digital-competence.eu/dc/report/?uri=467f33fde204237b65d33173e8149b43
The screenshot tool did not work, so I am sharing the link here if anyone wants to take a closer look at my results. There is room for improvement in every area, as I expected. Security is at the highest level: 75% which I think is a good thing. The other key components were information 66%, communication 62% and production 41%.
Self reflection
The use of service pages, such as Kela, is easy. I utilize them to handle my own affairs, while virtual shops are used for making purchases. However, sometimes I need that personal face-to-face service, and I hope that the opportunity for it will continue to exist in the future. What caught my attention in the digital skills test was how many different sections there are that I have not even considered. Test results were not surprising though. This task reminded me (AGAIN) how little I utilize digitalization in my own work. On the other hand, I use it a lot in my personal life. There is a lot of room for improvement in digital skills, but it is happening all the time. Applying to and studying at the university of applied sciences has helped a lot in developing these skills, and I want to keep improving constantly. I had never created a blog before and this course has already given me a huge learning experience.
I agree with your comment “People who do not use digital services can easily become excluded, and, for example, managing their own affairs can become difficult.”
I am slightly worried about older people who will not or cannot use the digital services.
Furthermore, there are also young people who are not interested in technological devices and digital services, I wonder how will they manage their whole lives in a society where the digital services are the only option.
I forgot to mention, please see my blog in https://morningrunwithminna.wordpress.com/
Thank you for your ideas!
I think that I have never visited pages Mielenterveystalo. It reminds me of Terveyskylä, which is well-known. The pages are wide-ranging and they serve more information both for patients or customers and the professionals. I’m not working in mental health care, but the pages are very interesting. I noticed later, that HUS has developed the pages and then they have similarities between Terveyskylä and Mielenterveystalo. It remained unclear, whether is there a discussion board.
Päivi
https://blogi.savonia.fi/hyvinvoiva/
Hi there, you and I seem to have very similar approach to digital shopping 😊 It was a pleasure to visit your clear and interesting blog. I also agree with you that even in the middle of virtual environments and digital society it is vital to understand the necessity of preserving personal, face-to-face services.
My thoughts and findings on digitalization and the digital gap are very much in line with yours. However, you raised a very important point about how it is extremely difficult to handle matters on behalf of relatives without electronic authentication tools. While it is true that matters can be handled with a power of attorney, it is not as straightforward and often requires a personal visit to the authorities. My own parents are getting older all the time, so I should start thinking about how they would like me to help them, for example, if they are no longer able to do things themselves at some point.