KELA

KELA is a government funded organization that is responsible for social security for Finns and other people living in Finland. At the moment I am on maternity leave, so I get child benefit and home care allowance from KELA. Although I am not a citizen, I have studied and worked in Finland for almost 20 years, therefore I am entitled to get social benefits just like any other person permanently living in this country. I already have a European health care card. Once you order it, it renews automatically every 2 years. It is useful to have it with you at all times when abroad. I also have annual travel insurance as well.

OmaKanta

I use OmaKanta on a regular basis, always after I visit a healthcare facility. I also have access to my children and my husband’s health care data. I know it would be wiser to use Mobile ID, but I am used to logging on with my Bank ID. Bank ID is primarily intended for conducting transactions with the bank. So, for security reasons you should use different kinds of ways to log on, for example Mobile ID is excellent for it. It is fast and safe, and it also meets the requirements for strong electronic identification.

Keva

Once in a while, I check pension calculations to find out how much pension I have already saved. I have worked for about 15 years, 30 more years to come. The first task was to check how much the pension was if I retire at the age of 63 and the second task was to check it if I retire at 68 years old. Actually, the minimum retirement age for me would be 67 years and 4 months old. The target retirement age is 69 years and 5 months. This means that I should be working until the end of August 2056. Since I have two kids, this has also been the time when the income has been quite low, and it has affected the amount of pension I will be getting at that time. Hopefully I will stay healthy and will be able to work for the next 30 years and therefore also get a better pension.

Amazon

I am quite used to shopping online and for example Amazon is a simple place to get everything you need. It has all kinds of information; most product sites also include instructions to assemble an item. Buying from Amazon is mostly cheaper, depending on shipping fees. Browsing Amazon, you can often find discounts and you can also monitor when the item is on sale. It also has a reliable return policy, so you have the possibility to send the item back if you are not satisfied with the purchase. A few times we have also had problems with the order, the parcels went missing, but we got a refund for those products. Basically, you save time and money shopping online, although you have to be aware that it is very easy to buy things you actually don’t need.

Sata-application

One of the most recent new applications I have used is Sata-application. It is a digital social and healthcare center. At first it was an application contacting healthcare professionals, but recent upgrades have also added social services and elderly care. You have the possibility to take care of personal business or act on behalf of someone else. Nowadays you also have the possibility to chat anonymously concerning an elderly neighbor or a child living next door. Basically, you have all kind of possibilities of contacting social and healthcare professionals. This application is easy to use, and you can connect with professionals any day and from anywhere. Electronic services are a possibility among others, and they manage to reduce the amount of people waiting in a line in a local health care institution.

When talking about negative things, then the application is available only in Finnish, so Swedish-speaking people and all the foreigners are left aside. One thing also missing is voice control or screen reader, so the application is not suitable for blind people or people with visual disabilities. Although there are some major things still missing, like booking appointments for a doctor’s visit or a dentist, it is still a huge step forward for future healthcare and social care services.

Digitalization and digital gap

There will always be people who don’t use digital services, for example elderly and also those who choose not to use them. For example, getting a prescription for medication is now easy to get from a digital healthcare center. There is no need to book an appointment and go to a local health care institution. Online you have a nurse or doctor always responding during office hours, a physical doctor’s appointment could be weeks away. Especially because of the fact that smaller municipalities have often problems hiring medical personnel.

Using digital services, for example bank, tax office and Kela, also makes you more independent and you don’t have to rely on children or other family members. For example, my mother is over 70, but she still has enough skills to use digital services and use phone for video calls or taking pictures. I guess it depends also on people’s personality and the curiosity to learn new things also after retiring.

The last few years have proven to us that the number of cybercrimes has increased. So, you have to be especially aware of things happening online. One of the last scams I heard of is that a person from the tax office or bank calls and claims that you are getting a refund of something. The person is claiming he or she is doing a refund on your bank account, but you have to confirm the payment on your phone. Entering the code, you give access to the thief to perform unauthorized actions on your account. These people sound nowadays like professionals and if you are not sharp all the time, you can easily become a victim of an online scam.

Digital Competence Test

I also did the digital competence test and I was a little bit surprised by the results. I thought they would be a little bit higher, but I also realized that I was brutally honest doing the test. According to the test, my total score is 67 % and it means that my score level is Level 4: Intermediate. It means that I am able to perform well-defined tasks independently. I can also solve non-routine problems on my own. Highest scores I got from Self-Service, Collaboration and Data Protection. Here you can have a better understanding of my test results:

Self-evaluation

This course has been very exciting and eye-opening. I haven’t thought about it before that I use different digital services quite a lot. For example, OmaKanta, OmaKela and OmaVero I have used often, but the digital healthcare center Sata-application is quite new to me. Nowadays when we take care of most of our personal business on the Internet, we have to be well aware of the cyber risks around us. It was also interesting to read fellow students blog posts and get to know what co-students think about digitalization.

Using digital services is fast and easy for major part of people, but we always have to think about people who cannot or will not use those services. So, digital services are a good alternative but should not be the only option. Hopefully I will be one of the people who will be developing healthcare and social care digital services. I’m looking forward to what the future brings.

Blog comments

I commented on:

Digi Citizen
DIGI CITIZEN
DIGI CITIZEN


Comment on Oona’s blog:

“Hello Oona and thank you for the blog. I was surprised as well when I saw the amount of my pension when I retire as early as 67 years and 4 months. The target retirement age for me is 69 years and 5 months. I have basically 31 years left until retirement, but still the amount of pension is small. Hopefully I have paid all the loans, haven’t got any credit card depth and first of all I am healthy and strong.

To my mind digital services are great for those who manage to use them, but we should always think also about those who won’t be able to use them. To my mind digital services is a possibility, an alternative for the basic services. And those who want and choose to use them should be allowed to use them.”

Comment on Kati’s blog:

“Hello Kati and thank you for the interesting blog. I have previously used also Booking.com, but nowadays having children, it is easier to stay in apartments or houses, so I mainly choose Airbnb.com for accommodation. I am also quite “careful” so to be said and I read always comments and check the ratings to be sure that the service, product, accommodation etc. is best suited for me and my family.

I especially liked the last paragraph of your blog when you said that you are worried about too fast digitalization and forgetting the people who can’t manage to use digital services for some reason. It is sad that face-to-face service is nowadays rare. Although I don’t especially need face-to-face service, I still want that those who want it, those can have it without extra cost or some kind of special arrangement.”

Comment on Sonja’s blog:

“Hello Sonja and thank you for the blog. I agree that although Amazon has a big variety of products, the quality of products isn’t always good. But most of the products sold on Amazon and in different Finnish shops are made in China, so the quality is basically the same, but the price may vary quite a lot. I also read feedback before ordering products to make sure that I am getting what I actually wanted.

Support from family and friends is a great way to encourage older people also to use digital services if they choose so. Although computers may cost a lot, I am pleased that we also have the opportunity to use computers for free in public libraries. Many of them also have the opportunity of printing.”