Explaining a gap after caregiving or layoff - what worked for you?

I have been out of work for 13 months and worry about the gap. I have read a lot of threads here and could not find my exact situation. I have done some volunteering and a course during that time. What do you say in interviews?

Keep everything in writing and save the confirmation numbers. It made the follow-up calls so much easier.

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