The Social insurance Institution of Finland (KELA
I’ve used some of KELA’s services many years example KELA pays child benefit for my two kids, Currently my first born children turns 17 in August when his child benefit ends. Last year I got partial care allowance, because my lastborn went to school and by then, I worked only 30 hours a week. Currently I’m paying health care fee for students in higher education. As a guardian, I can also manage some of my underage childrens affairs in the OmaKela e-service, example I can view decisions and documents, keep up to date on their status and see which matters are currently pending.
If you want to get the card for European Health Insurance granted via Kela, you need to be covered for health insurance in Finland or Finland is responsible for your medical costs. You can also apply card for you child. The Card can be applied easily and for free via OmaKela-service. You can also apply it by calling to KELA or mailing the printed application to KELA. When you are applying the card, you need to identify youself to the servise (e -Identification) -example with your mobile or bank sertificate. There are also own identication metods for foreigners. At OmaKela’s service you need to go -> do application-> Kela’s cards -> European Health Insurance card- do application. After that you need to answer only few question about applying the card and you get it via post within a two weeks. I didn’t have European Heath Insurance card yet so I did the application at the same time.
OmaKanta
You can acces to OmaKanta- service by logging at Kanta.fi. There you need to identify youself with e-identification wich are certificate card, mobile certifiate or bank certificate. At the moment the service was under renowal,
I can use OmaKanta when I want to check up my health related information (ex. healthcare appointments, diagnosis and laboratory results), prescrioptions or information about social services. In OmaKanta I can also do my advance decision and decision for the organ donation. I can as well run errands behalf my underage children or with mandate also behalf another adult.
Keva
You can see your own pension from Keva’s service MY PENSION if you have resently worked in public sector or you receive a pension from Keva. First you need to identify youself like you did with OmaKanta and OmaKela. There you can get an estimate for your pension with Keva’s calculator. According to that, If I retire at 68 years my pension is around 2600e/month. Keva didn’t gave me any pension estimation at 63 years, because my lowest retirement age is 66 years and 10 months.
Digital shopping
I have used some digital shops like Booking.com, Trivago.fi, lensway.fi, Foodora.fi and a few clothingcompanys online site’s. However I use digital shops quite rarely and I always check first, that the site is reliability. I often use online shops that are familiar or popular and I check others general shopping experiences. I’m also cautious to give my credit card information and investigate the retailer before sharing the number. Because of my precautionary, my online shopping has been succesful and i’ve always got my orders without data breach or misappropriation. On the other hand I know several people who has ordered example carparts abroad and got their credit card information stolen.
I find Booking.com very useful when I’m traveling and want to compare prices for accommodation. Those site’s are very easy to use and sometimes it’s possible to save some money by using these online shops. Comparing the prices is important, because I am often traveling with my huspand and two kids, whitch is quite expensive and on the other hand, I get other offers and discount also by having membership to Holiday club, S-group and Tehy ry.
Lensway.fi is Nordic countries biggest online store for contact lenses and eyeglasses and I have used it several years. There are my own site’s where I can see all my preveous orders and it’s easy to re-order the same items again. The online shops is reliable, delivery takes only few days and you can get the same items that in local store but more inexpensive.
Both Booking.com and Lensway.fi site includes good information example about the company, GDPT, corporate responsibility and companys garantees and my experiences has been excellent, so I can recommed these online shops as a reliable. Also in Trustpilot’s evaluation Lensway.fi got 4,5/5. On the other hand Booking.com got only 1,2/5 and when I read the reasons for so low scores, there had been lack of customer sercive, information gaps and problems with money or accommodation especially booking abroad.
Digital service/application from my own field
From my own field I choose to this assigment Palliatiivinen talo (terveyskyla.fi) because it relates directly to my studies and it includes versatile information about adults palliative care, hospice care, symptoms, treatments and healthcare services. There is also important information for the patient relatives and close ones about the support and services they can get. Website also includes own site for the professionals, where they can seek information, find out about the newest research results or order material for printing. This website is very usefull, because it is versatile, you can read or listen the material and it’s available for free to everybody all around the clock. I think almost only disadvantage is that the site is only in finnish and in swedish.
Digitalisation and digital gap
Digitalisation and virtual services are developing all the time but there is still many promblems so solve. For starters, internet access is an important issue example using healtcare services and lack of access excludes individual from getting all services and information. Secondly without internet and digital services, individual can have an unequal possibility to have education benefits or find jobs. Third it’s important to detect, that digitalisation can increase the society gap when some people are left behind. That’s why the digital systems need to be build the way it works for start-ups to experts. Lastly, not everybody has the economic possibilities to buy digital technology and that creates also huge gap and inequality around access to information or resources.
In Finland most of the public services and information are in digital form and bureaus office hours are reduced. If you’r not running your errands via digital services it can be difficult to make an actual appointment. Besides to that, distance to bureaus can be quite long when running your errands can be time and money consuming. Comprehensive school and many colleges/vocational schools are serving laptop’s to students but otherwise you need to buy your own devides for studying. In Finland almost everyone has an internet connection, some digital devise and know-how to use them, but lack of those can lead to new form of inequility and social isolation.
Digital Competence Test
Digital Competence test was easy and relatively quick to do. My total score was five (advanced) and the description of the score was: ” Users on level 5 (advanced) are able to perform many different tasks and guide others in doing the same. They can also solve most problems on their own ” Digital competence test didn’t really gave me any new information about my skilss, because I’m aware of my lack to solve bigger technical problems or tasks or modify contens in different formats. I use social media, digital softwares and technical devices every day at work and at home, mut I try to keep my focus in ”real life and people ” instead of spending my time on computer, mobile phone or other digital devices.
Self-reflection
This assigment was very current and it was usefull to deepen my thoughts and think over my behavior in digital world. It was also nice to read other student’s thouhts and experiences. I think internet and online shops are good and useful tools when you remember to check reliability and are careful using your personal data. Data protection is well known at work environment, but it can be easily forgot at home. Moreover it make me wonder how well elderly people or kids understand the gaps with digitalisation. In the future adults are used to use all kind of digital services and devices since they were kids- maybe then we have more opportunities of closing the digital gap
I Commented:
DIGI CITIZEN – Pauliinasblog (savonia.fi)