Kela, OmaKanta, ELO
I have received help and support from Kela at various stages of my life. I have received parental allowance during family leave. When the children were minors, I received child allowance. My family has also received benefits from Kela, student allowance and housing allowance during my child’s studies. My mother receives a pension. I am lucky that I have been able to work a lot and I have not been unemployed for longer periods.The Finnish social security is good and very important.
I didn’t have a European health care card yet, I ordered it now.
Omakanta is familiar, I have updated recipes through it. I can see doctor visits, prescriptions, procedures, etc. from my account. There you can also authorize the release of your own patient data to the persons participating in the treatment. In Omakanta you can make an organ donation will and a treatment will.
I got my pension information from Työeläkehtiö Elo. My lowest retirement age is 65 years and 5 months. My estimated target retirement age is 66 years and 9 months, and my estimated maximum retirement age is 70 years. I hope I can work as long as possible and stay healthy. I have also paid a voluntary pension in order to secure my own future.
Booking.com
I have often booked hotels through Booking.com. Sometimes the price has been cheaper and sometimes more expensive when compared to the prices on the hotels’ own websites. So you should be careful! You can also read reviews from other customers on Booking.com, which I find useful. I have experienced the service as reliable and functional. The site has a loyalty program where you can get up to a 20% discount on your hotel reservation.
Digitalization and digital gap
Digital is everywhere. What then if the person is unable to use digital services or does not want to use them? At the moment, it’s already difficult if you can’t strongly identify with different services. Strong authentication requires bank credentials. Strong identification is needed when signing up for health services, managing things in e.g. a bank, insurance company, Kela.
The challenge is that you always have to visit the agencies on site. The opening hours of the agencies have shrunk, and they can no longer be found in every location. The risk is that things go unhandled and safety is compromised.
Banking application
I work at Savingsbank. For this task, I tested S-bank’s mobile application so that I can compare it with Savingsbank’s application.
The good aspects of S-bank’s mobile application are that you can see receipts and offers from S-store. I think the bank application itself is clear and easy to use. However, the functionality is limited compared to Säästöpankki’s mobile application. It lacks e.g. financial management tool.
The digital competence
I use a lot of digital channels and apps. However, I have a lot to learn. For my work, I know a lot about security in digital channels and I know how to be careful.
However, I don’t know how to code or create digital solutions. In my work, I am constantly thinking about which tasks could be automated.
Self-assessment
Digital ability is important in this time. Digitality is increasing all the time and it is important to maintain your own digital skills. Understanding the dangers of digitization is also important. While doing this task, I learned what my strengths and weaknesses are in the digital world. Through my work, I deal a lot with digital security. Criminals are always one step ahead, so you have to be careful and healthy skeptic.
I visited and commented on:
Digi Citizen – Rare Care (savonia.fi)
Hi, Titta! I agree with you about the challenges of digitalisation. You mentioned that the opening hours of the agencies have shrunk and there are no agencies in every village any more. These changes create inequality and it is worrying. Digital services make life easier, but it is wrong that they leave some people in a worse position. Efficiency, economy, productivity are things that companies think about. It is a pity that there are no ways to preserve traditional forms of service.
Hi Titta! You did a good job on comparing different applications, banking in your blog text. I think this is one important skill for everyone using tools of digitalizations. The usability of services might be one driving force for selection of products or services online. In online shopping, if the website or app is not clear, it lowers my motivation for purchase. However, I don’t think the usability of websites or apps is the main reason for decision making for most of the people yet.
The Finnish social security system, including institutions like Kela, plays a crucial role in supporting individuals and families at various stages of life. It’s commendable to hear about your positive experiences with Kela, receiving assistance such as parental and child allowances, student benefits, and pension support. Omakanta’s integration into healthcare provides convenient access to personal health records and facilitates important decisions like organ donation. Työeläkehtiö Elo’s provision of pension information underscores the importance of financial planning for retirement. Your proactive approach to securing your future through voluntary pension contributions reflects a commendable commitment to long-term well-being.