This project, developed for the Continuity of Knowledge brief within the DfG course, explores how Kanta, Finland’s national digital health platform, can shift from a passive archive to a proactive tool for elderly care. Collaborating with Kela and Kanta, and healthcare professionals, the team focuses on addressing isolation and promoting early intervention for older adults.
In our latest phase, we have sharpened our approach to situate Open Government from an orchestrator of action coherence to a policy-level link connecting decision-makers with citizens. By advocating for Open Government principles at the heart of legislative and administrative processes, we see a possibility for Open Government to be a bridge between policy and people.
Our research explores Open Government Finland’s role in building democratic resilience. Working with the Ministry of Finance and civil society networks, our recommendations focus on connecting Open Government directly with policymakers and advocating its principles within this level to strengthen Finland’s democracy. We thank our partners and everyone that took time to answer our many questions during this process.
How can narrative and design shift a national care system? This post reflects on our team –Care Group 1– proposal for the Ministry of Health and KELA, focusing on continuity of knowledge in elderly care. It highlights the power of communication and storytelling in promoting preventive, human-centered care—and the role design plays in making visions actionable.
HyMy Village at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences addresses the challenges of linear digital solutions in Finnish elderly care by combining multidisciplinary, human-centered collaboration with digital tools. By integrating data with lived experiences, the project enhances continuity of knowledge and holistic care, moving beyond linear metrics to support adaptive, personalized well-being for elderly clients
Over the past few weeks, we have focused on exploring how intergenerational collaboration could be incorporated into open government by creating an age-friendly Finland. From contacting various organizations to conducting interviews, our schedule has been packed with activity and learning opportunities as we gathered insights to shape a more inclusive future for all ages.
We explored the continuity of knowledge in elderly care in Finland. Through fieldwork using abductive reasoning, we focused on human perspectives and found that social workers hold valuable insights for preventive elderly care. Our research highlighted the value of human interaction and some policy gaps. We aim to refine our insight to support care with empathy.
Our project has shifted from imagining Open Government as an orchestrator to a working concept thriving on a peer-to-peer network rather than an institution. We also examine the vision of an ‘age-friendly’ Finland as an appropriate response to the country’s major demographic shifts, especially from the perspective of Open Government.
Finland’s ageing population is challenging the coordination of the current care system. While medical data is being stored and collected, information about the social aspects of ageing still struggles to enter the system. In this scenario, integrating social and health care is the direction to take, ensuring continuity of knowledge to support this demographic shift.
After engaging with officials from the Open Government Finland initiative, and the Helsinki Elderly Citizens Council, an exercise of systems analysis was a great way to understand the phenomenon of Aging Population with relation to Open Government in Finland. Reframing the aging population as an opportunity for intergenerational collaboration, rather than a crisis, reveals untapped opportunities.