Explaining a gap after caregiving or layoff - first time posting

I have been out of work for 6 months and worry about the gap. There are 18 people counting on me, so I am trying to be careful. I have done some volunteering and a course during that time. How did you handle it on your résumé?

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

Keep everything in writing and save the confirmation numbers. It saved me later.