Kela

Nowadays I use Kela’s websites only when I have to pay the student healthcare payment twice a year. I remember that when I was studying at a vocational school and university degree, I applied for study- and housing allowance on Kela’s website.

Now I visited the Kela’s website to get a European Health Insurance Card. I never thought I would need it because I have permanent travel- and accident insurances. Just before writing this, my friend sent me a message from Denmark that she has broken her elbow wile skateboarding. The staff at the Danish hospital had been relieved that she had had a EHIC. I logged in with my online banking credentials and approved the login with my phone’s bank ID app. I’m going to be travelling to couple countries in Europe soon, so I think it’s a good idea to have a European Health Insurance Card too.

Omakanta

After a long time, I logged on to the Omakanta website.  I logged in the same way as on the Kela’s website, using my bank account. There  you can see your own health information and for example vaccinations and prescriptions you have received.

Keva

I went to the Keva’s website to see how much pension I will receive. The occupational pension statement contains information on the employment relationships and earnings that have accrued a pension, as well as the benefits paid for unpaid periods. For some reason, the website was unable to generate an occupational pension statement for me. I have never visited the Keva’s website before, but I have sometimes checked my occupational pension record on the Työeläke.fi (Ilmarinen) website. There I found  now the current estimate of my accrued pension and it made me really sad. My minimum retirement age is 68 years and 3 months and the upper limit is 70 years.  I think that minimum retirement  age is already pretty high. I wondered how I would manage on that amount of money. Maybe I should start playing the lottery.

Digital Shops

I usually try to buy my clothes and things second-hand from local second-hand stores or online. However, sometimes I need to shop online and then I usually use familiar sites.  If I have to order something from a new online shop  for me, I check the reviews online before order. I don’t  encourage always buy from the cheapest place. I recommend paying attention to the durability of the item, the reliability of the online shop and always check the second hand options first (Local second-hand stores, Facebook second-hand groups, Tori.fi, Vinted..)

Vinted

What an amazing and easy invention! If I’ve needed something, I haven’t necessarily struggled to buy it new because of the high price, or for example because I couldn’t find the right size of clothes in an online shop. Then I’ve check Vinted app and found it second-hand. As a good example, I searched for a long time for a Finnish Desing swimsuit for surfing, but there was no suitable size for me. Just in case, I looked on Vinted, where just a while ago someone had put that swimsuit up for sale unused. It had been unsuitable for the seller.  And the price was five times cheaper than new. Win-win situation and the swimsuit was perfect! If you order from an online store and have to load up the post office, I recommend you take a look at this alternative. Recycling is also a more ecological option than buying new. 

Airbnb & Booking

If i’m travelling somewhere in Finland  or out of, usually I use Airbnb for searching accommodation.  Usually it’s cheaper option than a  hotel and private person will get payment for renting placement.

If I want to book a hotel, I use Booking.com without comparing prices on similar sites. In my experience, Booking is a reliable and also site is easy to use for booking accommodation or a hotel. Often the differences in price with similar sites are pretty small.

Working  site – Käypä hoito – recommendations

Käypähoito- Recommendations are independent, research-based national treatment recommendations. Recommendations are developed for doctors, health professionals and citizens to inform treatment decisions. The recommendations are drawn up by the Finnish Medical Association Duodecim in collaboration with specialist medical associations, so the site is a reliable source whether you are an employee or a citizen. In my work, I use the website a lot to support my health advice.

Digitalization and digital gap

Most services today are digital. People who don’t use these services may miss them or face difficulties in accessing them. Digital health services in particular carry a risk, as people who do not or cannot use digital services may miss out on care. Digital services require online access and technical skills. This may particularly affect older people, people living in rural areas or people on lower incomes. Those who are not used to using digital services may be more vulnerable to security risks. In the workplace, digital skills are increasingly important; if a person does not have digital skills, they may find it difficult to progress in their job or find new job opportunities. Today, there is a lot of interaction online and those who are not in the digital world can feel isolated. The digital gap is a major challenge, but it can be reduced through awareness-raising and training. We also need to ensure that traditional services are accessible.

Self-assessment

With this assignment, I finally managed to get a European Health Insurance Card! It was also interesting (and a bit sad) to look at my own current pension for a long time. However, I’m not sure if my age group will ever even get a pension. My attitude and priority is anyway to invest in my free time and live life to the full hand now while I can, rather than worry about the future too much.

My comments:

https://blogi.savonia.fi/kainuunkorvessa/digi-citizen/

Hi! 🙂

A while ago I watched a MOT’s documentary on YLE about products made in China and I was shocked at what they contained. It was eye-opening. The documentary is about the Chinese online shop Shein, but Temu uses the same businesslogic.The documentary is still available on YLE Areena named ”Vaatteet myrkkytestissä”. Before watching the documentary, I managed to order a few small items from Chinese shops myself, but now I would never order anything from them again. I recommend watching the documentary and reading about the ethics of Chinese factories!

https://blogi.savonia.fi/mintei/orientation/

I have to agree with the previous comment! I have also travelled a lot and I have never even heard of the EHIC before. I also have continuous travel insurance. But I am now getting a card. My friend is currently in Denmark and had broken her elbow, the Danish hospital was relieved that she had a EHIC.

I couldn’t find my pension information too on the Keva’s websites but find it on Imarinen website.

https://blogi.savonia.fi/pauliinapajunen/digi-citizen/

Hi! It’s a shame that you have closed your own hand-made online shop, I would have liked to hear more about it.. Personally I try to favour Finnish alternatives, but I know that the most of Finnish people buy their clothes and staff from where they can get it cheapest. That is why it is sad to see many Finnish entrepreneurs closing their doors. We just lost an important local skateboardingshop after 21 years, because it was no longer profitable to keep the shop open. I myself have woken up also too late to the fact that you should always support local and domestic, even if it is a bit more expensive. Better late than never and I am currently making more responsible choices now.