Explaining a gap after caregiving or layoff - any advice?

I have been out of work for 8 months and worry about the gap. It has been a long 8 weeks. I am nervous about being filtered out. How did you handle it on your résumé?

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

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