KELA

Kela is the Social Insurance Institution of Finland. That service is free for all users. I have used Kela’s services depending what kind of situation I had have in my civil life. When own children were young then Kela’s services and websites were important. In my work I use Kela’s counselling line with students. I help students to solve problems with Kela benefits. Kela also updates the websites of professionals well. Currently Kela guides strongly to use websites. Kela also has services available as local services. It is necessary to those peoples who has barriers to using electrical services. There in offices are still also paper brochures available. Kela website is available 24/7. The opening hours of the Kela office are more limited.

European health care card is great social support for all citizens. The card is one indication of the benefits of the EU. System sends oneself a new card automatically. I have had that card in addition to travel insurance. It increased sense of security while traveling. It is also encouraging to note its recognition and usability abroad. In many European countries, there are well-functioning and reliable hospitals.

OMAKANTA

Oma Kanta is a part of national Kanta services. It works online. There is website and OmaKanta application.   Users can log in to the service by authenticating with bank credentials, for example. Users can see example their own health information and recipes. Welfare information is partially fragmented. Example vaccination information is not the same place; one must search for information from different texts. In some next Oma Kanta update, we maybe find also clear separate vaccination certificate.

KEVA

Keva is the largest pension insurance provider in Finland. Website is freely available to everyone to use but login to services and own information’s requires strong authenticating. That website itself is highly informative. I log into the service at irregular intervals. Every time I am amazed at how remarkably smaller the pension is compared to the salary. It encourages continuing to work for as long as possible. My retirement age is somewhere between the age of 66 and 67. I am now focusing on education and my work. Retirement age is in future, and I can influence the timing myself. It is great that we have a system that tracks retirement age and pension accumulation on our behalf.

DIGITAL SHOPS LIKE BOOKING.COM AND TRIVAGO

 Digital shops like Booking and Trivago offer plenty of options. Digital shops offer the possibility to book additional services. There is website or application buyer can set desired conditions. Then it is easier to choose what suits for itself. Then you have possible to get to know services own websites. Prize at service providers site can be lower. Nowadays there is no travel agencies where we could go. Always we use service providers websites or applications. Is the chosen service reliable? Service users must ensure that. In digital world there is easy and possibility to compare information. It is important to stay calm, take enough time, and ensure safety.

MY APPLICATION I LIKE AND USE MOST

I chose Play Shop application. That app I use every week. It relates to all other apps I use. I only download new applications through it. I also update applications there regularly. There I get to know new apps and can compare these and decide then what is best for me. I mention one another app because it is in a shared first place. It is F-Secure. Many of us have taken care cybersecurity in our computer but not in our mobile phones. However, most people use their phones more in everyday life. I have considered the cybersecurity of both devices. These two apps: Play Shop and F secure help me use my phone and all other apps more safety.

DIGITALIZATION AND DIGITAL GAP

Well-being areas are cutting local services in the regions. There usually distances are long. Those peoples who lives there are often older and needs lot of health services. Well-being areas offer digital and virtual services instead of local services. One challenge can be that they eldery people have not use before digital services. Health information is intimate. Elderly person can have difficult to ask help. They may also have motor challenges to use digital devices. Service providers should have them an alternative way to manage health matters. Phone maybe? But oneself must have a smartphone. It can be as difficult to use. And solutions and digitalized services develops very fast.

DIGITAL COMPETENCE TEST

” The Wheel’s purpose is to provide an overview of digital competences and offer concrete tools to how these competences can be elevated and improved identifying your strengths and weaknesses.”  Fine test, I appreciate that there are also those tools. Test’s result did not surprised I. I am glad that from those Digital Competence Areas safety was my strength. I am more than satisfied. Only few years ago that result has been different especially production area. During my studies, I have learned and deepened my skills in solving digital problems and explore new ways to take advantage of technology.

TO THE END.

What have I learned? I have stopped numbers of times to think about how many services require strong authenticating. It is of course necessary and important. Same time it provides an opportunity for criminal activity every time. We need more different methods for identifying phishing and malware. One can never emphasize too much the importance of safe and reliable logging in services. How important is to check when websites are last updated. “Read our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy by clicking the links.” This is a common sentence on several websites. Thera are usually quite long and lot of text. Does users read that all. And do we remember that always someone knows what we use also without login.

If we offer virtual services to all more, does it also further increase people’s loneliness. Do we all talk more often to our phones than to each other face to face.