Explaining a gap after caregiving or layoff - 9 months and counting

I have been out of work for 9 months and worry about the gap. I have read a lot of threads here and could not find my exact situation. I am nervous about being filtered out. Did anyone get past it?

I listed the volunteering and course under the same dates and kept the explanation to a sentence in the cover letter.

Keep your skills fresh and mention anything recent. It shows momentum.