KELA
Everyone knows the National Pension Institute, commonly known as KELA, is a government agency that provides social security services to Finnish citizens. It is responsible for various social security programs and benefits, including health care, family benefits, pensions, and unemployment benefits. As a Finnish citizen, KELA is very familiar to me, and I have used several of its services personally and for my family.
The first thing that comes to mind is health care, whose services KELA is strongly involved. In Finland, every citizen has the right to free or subsidized healthcare services, and KELA is responsible for reimbursing medical treatment, medicines, and other healthcare-related expenses. I have used KELA’s healthcare services for, among other things, routine check-ups, vaccinations, and prescription drugs. My family has also used KELA’s healthcare services for various medical procedures and treatments. For example, healthcare for minor children is entirely free. You don’t even have to pay the polyclinic fee.
Another service offered by Kela is family benefits. These benefits are designed to support families with children, including child allowance, maternity and paternity benefits, and parental leave benefits. As a parent, I have received child benefits from KELA, a monthly installment covering the child’s care expenses. My partner has also received maternity benefits from KELA, which provides financial support during parental leave.
In addition to health care and family benefits, KELA administers several other social security programs and benefits. For example, KELA, which offers pension benefits to eligible citizens, is responsible for administering the Finnish national pension system. KELA also provides unemployment benefits to unemployed people to help them cover housing costs while they look for new job opportunities.
Overall, KELA plays a crucial role in ensuring the well-being of Finnish citizens by offering various social security services and benefits. I have personally experienced KELA’s services as efficient, reliable, and necessary for my family’s financial security and health.
KANTA
OmaKanta is a key tool for obtaining and managing personal healthcare information in Finland. By offering a secure and user-friendly service, OmaKanta enables individuals to manage their healthcare information and ensures that healthcare providers receive accurate and up-to-date information. As a Finnish citizen, I am grateful to be able to use this valuable service and will continue to use it for years to come.
To access my healthcare information through OmaKanta, I had to confirm my identity with my online bank service, mobile ID access, or electronic identity card. After successfully logging in, I could view my healthcare information clearly and comprehensively. The user-friendly service allows me to easily search for specific information, such as previous prescriptions or medical test results.
KEVA
Retirement still feels far away for me. To use Keva’s retirement planning service, I first visited their website and opened their pension calculator. The tool is designed to help individuals estimate how much they would receive in a pension based on their income, age, and other relevant factors. I entered my personal information into the tool, including my current age and income, and selected two retirement ages – 63 and 68. After entering all the required information, the tool gave me an estimate of how much pension I would receive if I retired at age 63 or 68. The difference in my current earnings is €422 with these differences. This gave me many thoughts about the future, especially in what my pension will ultimately be enough if, e.g., healthcare costs rise at the same rate. I stated in my mind that it is also necessary to save for the future in other ways. A pension should not be the only security after a working career.
DIGITAL SHOPS
As digital technology develops, purchasing behavior also changes. Digital marketplaces such as eBay, Amazon, Booking.com, and Trivago are popular and established platforms used by millions worldwide. These platforms offer a wide range of products and services at competitive prices and convenient delivery options. Regarding prices on these platforms compared to local stores, it’s essential to remember that prices can vary by location, time of year, and other factors. That’s why it’s always a good idea to compare prices between different platforms and stores to make a good purchase decision as a consumer.
Regarding the adequacy of information for the consumer, these platforms provide detailed product descriptions, reviews, ratings, and images that can help consumers make informed decisions. Additionally, these platforms have strict seller and buyer protection policies that provide additional protection for online transactions. In other words, it could be said that at least the most popular digital platforms work with high quality. These platforms have robust security measures, such as secure payment gateways and anti-fraud policies, which guarantee a safe shopping experience for their users. However, when making online purchases, it is always important to be careful and ensure the seller’s reliability before making the payment.
CANVA
I chose the Canva program. It is a user-friendly and intuitive graphic design platform that allows users to create various designs, including social media graphics, presentations, posters, flyers, and more. It offers a drag-and-drop interface and a wide selection of customizable templates, images, and fonts. I choose Canva because it is free to use and has many features and templates available at no cost. Second, I find it user-friendly, and its intuitive interface is easy to navigate, even for beginners. Canva offers a wide range of customization options that allow users to create unique and personalized designs for their needs. As a user experience, Canva has a straightforward and user-friendly interface that makes creating templates quickly and efficiently easy. The platform offers templates for different design types that can be customized with text, images, and other design elements. Canva allows users to upload their pictures, logos, and fonts to create unique designs. Canva is an excellent choice for users who want to create high-quality graphics quickly and efficiently without learning complex design software. With its intuitive interface and customization options, Canva makes creating professional-looking templates for various purposes easy. I use Canva in my work every day.
DIGITAL GAP
Equity of digital services is a big challenge for the moment and future. Digitalization and the increasing use of virtual platforms have led to a growing digital gap between those using and unused digital technology. This opening may have significant risks and challenges for people unable or willing to use virtual services. For example, social exclusion may be a risk. The availability of online services must be ensured equally for everyone. This can lead to a feeling of isolation and exclusion, which can have a negative impact on, for example, mental health and well-being. Today, working life requires, at least everywhere, basic digitalization skills. Those who do not control these skills is well -suited for many jobs. There is also limited access to virtual services for education, health care, and state services. As more and more services are transferred to the network, it may be difficult for non-digital technology to receive these essential services, leading to a lack of knowledge and opportunity. It is vital to meet these challenges and work to narrow the digital gap to ensure that everyone has access to significant social, financial, and education opportunities.
DIGITAL COMPETENCE TEST
I did an interesting test on the level of my digital expertise. Below you will see the result I have received. I agree with the result. My know-how is the best in information, security, and communication. However, I do not consider myself a technically skilled digital expert, but I can study more when needed. 🙂
SELF REFLECTION
I have learned a lot about social security programs, digital tools, and online stores for this task. It is essential to be able to use different digital services in a critical view. I also consider the implementation of equity in the Digital Services Revolution. These experiences taught me the importance of effective and reliable services, knowledge-based decisions, and future planning in my work and everyday life.
My comments to the following three blogs: